Not Broken, Just Bent
by PrincessMeowKitty1889
Summary: (This is a rewrite of Brittle) They are in Vegas once again but things have gone horribly wrong. A/U, rated M for some language, self harm and rape/non-con references.
1. Part 1

**Hi There,**

**You're probably wondering why Brittle looks different, well that's because I rewrote it. Most of the things are the same, some are different. Think of this as version 2.0; new and improved. As of now, it is finished. I would love to write more Hangover stuff but there just isn't enough material out there to write a decent story. If only Bradley Cooper stared in LOTRS :(. **

**Anyways, I really hope you enjoy this one though! Please read and review!**

**Thanks!**

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Stuart narrowed his eyes as he stared down Marshal and his four thug friends in front of him. Man, it had been a crazy couple of days. _Fuck Vegas. _He was never coming here again, regardless of what Phil said. Infact, this was all Phil's fault to begin with. If he hadnt suggested they go to Vegas, none of this would have ever happened. Phil wouldnt have gotten kidnapped, Doug wouldnt have been punched by Woody Allen, and Alan wouldnt be wearing a Spice Girls T-shirt. This was all evidence of a night that never should have happened. Yet here he was, 30 miles out in the middle of fucking no where, bargaining with some low life thug for the life of his best friend. Stu didn't see Phil anywhere, and that made him suspicious. He had held up his end of the deal-the $4000 of cash was stashed safely in the bag he was holding-,but it seemed like Marshal had not.

"Where's Phil?" he asked in voice that sounded a lot stronger than he felt.

Marshal just smiled and motioned with his hand. Two of the thugs backed away towards the black SUV and opened the back doors. In the bright morning sunlight, it was hard to see what was going on but Stuart heard the definite sounds of a struggle. A good sign, if anything it showed that Phil was still alive and strong enough to still fight. When they had woken up in the deluxe suite of Cesaer's Palace two days ago, with no memory of the night before, the first thing Stu had done was look for Doug. And to his surpirse, he had found him curled up in the bathtub in a sparkly purple speedo cuddling an Oscar trophy. It was then he had realized, with deep horror that Phil was the one missing. Thank goodness for Doug and his leadership skills, he wouldnt have survived the night without them.

Then they had found the ransom note taped to the window and realized what deep shit they were in. Apparently they had stolen four grand from one of Marshall's thugs while they had been skinny dipping in the Venetian waterfront that night. This guy, Marshall was serious, Chow had said. No one steals from him and lives. Even Chow, who was scared of nothing wanted nothing to do with this guy.

When the two thugs brought him into the view through, Stu was taken aback; Phil looked _horrible. _His hands were bound with rope infront of him and he was gagged with duct tap. The white shirt and tan pants he had been wearing were torn and smudged with dirt, and _was that blood?_ Stuart couldn't tell in the blinding light if those were bruises or just dirt on his friend's face. Marshal reached for Phil, and Phil jerked, no _twitched _away from his grasp. Marshal paid no attention, "Here's your boy, now wheres my four grand?" he shouted, shoving phil towards them.

Stuart held up the bag, and then tossed it towards Marhsall-one of his thugs caught it.

"Four grand, in cash, just like you asked." Stuart confirmed as he watched the thug check the bag and give the okay. Marshal nodded and shoved Phil towards them. Phil stumbled, then fell to the ground. Stuart saw Doug's lips purse with worry. _He's just tired-exhausted. He'll be fine._

"Nice doing business with you, until next time gentlemen." Marshal said and he gave a small bow, and then proceeded to head back to his car.

Stuart gave a sigh of relief. _Well, the easy part is over. Now we just have to find Chow._

That was the next thing. Apparently, Chow was still a wanted man, even after his little escapade in Bangkok. Earlier that afternoon, while they had been freaking out about Phil they had been taken into custody by a CIA agent who wanted Chow. Fortunatly, Doug had smooth talked their way out, striking a deal with the agent; Stu's rather expensive, gold wedding ring for the life of Chow.

Once they had Chow, they could find that agent and get back his wedding ring and so get the hell out of there.

They waited until Marshall got back into his SUV and drove off, then Stuart walked over to Phil, who hadn't moved from the spot where he'd fallen.

"Phil?" Stuart asked, kneeling down next to his friend and tugging at the rope tying his hands together. Phil mumbled something incoherent under the gag, pulled his hands out of Stu's grasp, then sat up slowly.

"Hey buddy, how ya doing?" Stuart asked softly, pulling the tape off and putting a hand on phil's shoulder. Immediately he felt Phil tense, and then Phil _twitched _away from his grasp.

"Phil?" he asked again, the man shuddered slightly, ducking his head he hunched his shoulders as if he wanted to fold into himself and disappear.

Phil turned his head away from Stuart and mumbled "I'm fine."

Stuart took out his pocket knife and quickly cut the ropes before Phil could flinch away again.

"Let's get you cleaned up, come on we still have the suite for another night." Stuart told him, and then grabbed his arm to help him up. Phil shuddered and twitched _again_ right out of stuarts grasp. "I'm fine, I can get up myself." he murmured, then pushed himself up off the ground, swaying dangerously.

"Hold on buddy, let us help you. You look like you're about to fall over."

"I'm fine." Phil repeated

Phil pulled his shoulders back, stood up straighter then started walking towards the car. Phil gave Doug a nod of acknowledgment but, when Doug reached out to Phil in a simple gesture of camaraderie, Stu once again saw the flinch.

"Hey Phil" Doug said softly and Phil froze, "come on, lets go get you cleaned up." and he opened the car door. Phil nodded silently and gave a slight smile, then got in the car. Doug closed the door and looked to Stuart.

"Should we get him to a doctor?" he asked

Stuart thought for a moment, _we don't have time._

Doug seemed to be thinking the same thought, "lets just get to the hotel. if it's really bad, then we'll go."

Stuart nodded, and then motioned to Alan, who was standing motionless, staring at the spot where Phil had fallen, "Come on Alan, lets go."

"They took it away from him, he can never escape it..." Alan whispered.

Stuart tried not to roll his eyes, he didn't want to have to deal with the eccentricities of Alan right now.

"It's alright. we have him now. Get in the car, Alan." he said, almost too sharply.

Alan sighed, then turned around and silently got in the car.

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The car ride to the hotel was, if not anything else, _odd. _ Phil sat silently, staring out the window, Alan tried to make non-sensical small talk, but all Stuart could think about was that flinch, and why, all of sudden Phil who always seemed like the leader of their little group, was acting so quiet.

"So, we're going to go to the hotel, get cleaned up and then find Chow so we can go home." Stuart confirmed, because he felt like he needed to say _something _to break this awful silence. Doug nodded, "Right you are, Stu. We're almost there. What do you say about a nice cold beer after all of this, eh Phil?" Doug asked lightly, turning his head to the passenger seat.

"That sounds great, Doug" he said, sounding so much like normal that Stuart gave a sigh of relief, maybe he was worried about nothing.

When they got to the hotel, they left the car at the valet and walked inside. Despite Phil's protests that he was fine, Doug still took hold of Phil's his arm and lead him past the front desk to the elevator, voicing his concerns loudly about how Phil seemed like he was about to faint any minute. Phil argued his usual way-making obscure, rather inappropriate jokes about Doug's love life and swearing away into oblivion. Stuart couldn't help but notice the way Phil's breathe came in harsh gasps, or how his hands were balled into fists and-

"He's limping." Alan whispered softly.

"What?" Stuart asked

"Phil. He is limping, look." and alan pointed.

Phil must of heard, for he turned around to look at them, "I'm fine, Alan. Stu, stop worrying." he said, not quite meeting him in the eye.

As they waited for the elevator to come down, Stuart was finally able to really look his friend over.

Phil was a mess, Stuart was actually surprised that the receptionist or valet hadnt said anything. What stood out the most though wasn't the ripped clothing, or the blood or the dirt that covered his friend's neck and hands, but the vast, darkening bruise that spread across Phil's face. Like someone had backhanded him. Hard.

Phil shifted underneath Stuart's gaze, seeming determined to memorize the floor pattern. When the elevator finally came, he jerked his elbow out of Doug's grasp and walked inside with shoulders held high. Like nothing was wrong. Stu and Doug exchanged glances, Phil seemed different, on edge, almost _brittle. _

They remained silent as they elevator climbed up to the highest floor, and deposited them at the deluxe suite of Cesar's Palace. The same suite that they, not twelve hours earlier, been laughing and well, _normal. _Now everything was different. As they entered the suite, Alan gave a sigh "Home _suite_ home" he murmured, and then collapsed on the couch. Stuart couldn't help but smile. They could relax, at least for a few hours. Then they needed to find Chow, at least, they needed to find him if Stuart ever wanted to see his wedding ring again. Stuart sighed, right now the health and sanity of Phil seemed more important than his ring.

Stuart turned to see Doug sitting at the bar, pouring himself a drink, and Phil...Phil was where? He turned around, searching but then he heard the shower start in the bathroom. _He's just taking a shower. Relax. _He walked over and joined Doug at the bar, accepting the drink Doug held out to him, the rays of the early sunrise highlighting the dark circles underneath his eyes. It seemed like ages ago thatfound that ransom note that threatened Phil's life if they didn't _somehow _come up with the money. Stuart couldn't believe that it had only been two days.

"Hell of a night." Doug sighed, exhausted.

"Ill toast to that." Stu smiled and raised his glass.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Doug asked, motioning towards the sleeping form of Alan. "He saw a lot more than anybody should ever see last night."

"I don't think it's him we have to worry about." Stu answered, and Doug frowned.

"Marshall was never supposed to tor-cause any harm to him. That was the deal. He was just supposed to be a hostage." he lamented

"We have to find out what happened."

"Will he tell us?"

Then the shower stopped, and they heard the door's lock unclick, but Phil didn't emerge.

"I'll go find him some clothes." Stuart mumbled, and stood up. He headed towards Phil's room. Once he had gotten the clothes- a long sleeved black button up shirt and dark jeans- he knocked on the bathroom door.

"Phil? Phil, I have some clothes for you."

There was a pause, and then a muffled "Thanks." but Phil didn't come to the door.

"Are you alright?"

"Im fine." but the phrase did nothing to comfort Stuart. If anything, it sounded like Phil was anything _but _fine.

"May I come in?" Stuart asked, and after a moment he took the silence for a yes.

Phil was sitting on the floor, wrapped in one of the hotel's white robes, kneeling over the toilet and dry heaving into the bowl.

"Phil? Phil are you sure youre alright?" he asked again and coming closer.

Phil started to nod, but then froze, "I-I-I..." he stuttered, and clutched the bowl. "Stu-I-_can't-_make it stop-ple-"

Stuart knelt down next to Phil, noticing how Phil seemed to flinch away from him, but maybe this would be easy, "Make what stop, Phil? Please, tell me what's wrong."

Phil shuddered, and then brought his head back up, pushing against the toilet and propping himself up on the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut and sat still for a moment, but then his eyes flashed opened and he gave a small smile, "it's-it's nothing. I'm fine." he repeated, seeming to come to himself just a little bit.

Stuart remained where he was, studying his friend. _What had they done to him?_

"I brought you some clothes, here." he said, holding up the bundle. Phil nodded, and wrapped the robe more tightly around himself, pulling the sleeves down over his hands.

"Thanks Stu."

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	2. Part 2

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When Phil emerged, fully dressed from the bathroom, he seemed better, less _brittle _ than before. He offered Doug and Stuart a smile before sitting down at the bar and pouring himself a drink. like he would on any other day, the only thing that was different was the dark bruise across his face.

"So, what's next? Did I miss anything while I was away?" he asked, almost too brightly.

Doug paused before he answered, "Well, we have to find Chow. it's the only way Stu will get his wedding ring back."

Phil nodded, tapping his fingers on the glass.

"Do we have any idea where he is?"

Stuart shook his head, "I'm afraid not, but we do know that he is still in Vegas, he couldn't have gone far with transport or his cell phone."

Phil nodded. "Right. Well, I guess all we can do is look. Find leads, and hope that we find Chow even with us? I don't remember anything."

"He was with us for part of the night, and then he disappeared after Woody Allen-"

"We met Woody Allen?" Phil asked with a small laugh. "Man, I wish I could remember."

"What do you remember, Phil? We've been trying to piece the night together." Stu asked

Phil closed his eyes and tapped the counter, "I remember…." he trailed off

"I remember...we had dinner at-at the buffet and Alan ate a spoonful of wasabi. And...and-man I think that's it. When I woke up-I was-I dunno somewhere else…"

Stuart tried not to notice how Phil continuously spoke to the glass, instead of them, how he tried so desperately to _not _look them in the eye as they spoke.

Phil shook his head, " But that's not important. Stu, I know how important that ring is to you, so where should we start?" Phil asked

"I was thinking we could first recoup, go get something to eat, get our barring and then go check out that strip joint across the way. That seemed like a very Chow-like hangout." Doug answered. Phil's forehead creased, "like take a break? Don't we have a time limit or something?"

Stuart nodded, "We have until tomorrow evening at 6:00. Plenty of time to take a breather."

Phil's eyes lighted on the sleeping form of Alan, "Yeah, you guys could use a break. Especially Alan, poor guy."

Doug nodded, "We have been up all night, right Stu?"

Stuart smiled, "Yup, we're pros at it now. But you should get some rest too."

Phil's smile faded, and Stuart saw his hand twitch, "I'm fine, I don't need to rest."he stated, almost defensively.

Doug took a step closer to Phil, "Are you sure? You look beat." He took another step and reached towards the dark bruise on Phil's face,lightly touching it with his fingers "We should get that check-" but before he could finish Phil flinched away his head away, standing up from his chair and taking a few steps back.

"Phil?" he asked, Phil flinched again and took another step back and Stuart saw fear flash through his eyes.

"Wha-"

"Please...don't" Phil interrupted in an almost inaudible whisper and Doug dropped his hand. Phil shuddered slightly, and gripped the chair.

Doug sighed, and then backed away, "Alright, it's alright Phil."

Phil straightened up, "Im-Im sorry, I just-I-I-" he stuttered, balling his hand into a fist.

"It's okay Phil, we understand." Stuart answered, trying to be soothing, "Why don't you sit down, we'll get you a glass of water and we can work this out. Your going to be fine."

Phil's head shot up, and he shot a glare at Stuart, "I am FINE!" he said angrily

"Phil, we know you're fine, we just want to understand what happened to-"

"Fuck. NOTHING happened to me. I am fine. Look!-" and Phil walked towards Stuart and wrapped his arm around Stu's shoulders.

"See, I'm fine. Fucking Fine!" he shook Stuart to conceal the trembling in his arm.

"Nothing is wrong with me."

"We never said anything was wrong, we're just worr-"

Phil shoved Stu away from him, and took a few steps backs "Dont be." he stated flatly, and then turned around towards his room. Not quite slamming the door behind him.

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An unhinged silence seemed to creep through the room, the only sound was Alan's light snoring. Stuart remained where he was, staring at the door his friend had just slammed. _What the hell was going on?!_

He looked at Doug, who was sitting down in the barstool.

"Should we-"

"I don't know. I don't think he'll go even if we do."

"What do you think-?"

"I _don't know, _Stu."

Doug sighed, rapping his hands on the table. "He wouldn't let me...go near him, like he was almost _scared _of me. What-"

He shook his head. And Stuart sighed, throughout all their years of friendship, Phil had always been subject to their camaraderie, they all had. The high fives, and man hugs, had _always _defined their relationship. The quiet, almost brittle way phil had reacted to Doug's touch was enough to cause real concern.

"He said nothing happened."

"Do you really believe that?" Doug asked, and Stuart shook his head.

"No, not a bit."

"Then what should we do?"

"Believe it." A voice rose from the couch. Alan had woken up. Stuart turned to look at the bearded man as he sat up and stretched.

"How long have you been awake?"

Alan shrugged, "Long enough, I guess." and he walked over to the window, putting his hand on the glass.

"Alan, what do mean?" Doug asked

Alan shrugged, "Your voices woke me up, but I didn't want to intrude on-"

"No no, what did you mean about Phil."

"Ohhhhh. he obviously doesn't want to talk about it. Why force him to?" Alan asked lightly, and then his face darkened, "There are some things that should be left untold."

"So we just pretend like nothing ever happened?" Doug said doubtfully

Alan nodded, "Yup."

Stuart rolled his eyes, "This is crazy. _Something _happened and whatever it was, it needs to be -we cant fall apart, now, not after everything we've been through." the last part was a whisper. Doug stared at him, "Should we go-" he started but Stuart cut him off with a shake of his head, "No, we all need some space. Let's order some breakfast first, and then-after."

Doug nodded, and reached towards the room service menu.

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	3. Part 3

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After the food arrived, Stuart picked at his plate of eggs and sausages. He looked over the table to Doug, who was staring at his cup of coffee.

"I'll get him?" Stuart asked, Doug nodded without saying anything.

"Remember, nothing happened." alan reminded him, not looking up from the book he was reading. Stuart rolled his eyes, and then stood up and walked the 10 paces to Phil's door. He knocked, "Phil? Hey Phil? We have some breakfast, do you want to come out or..." The door opened, and Phil emerged, wearing a light jacket over the dark long sleeved shirt and jeans.

"Hey Buddy, sure, I'm hungry!" he said, in the same too bright toned voice he used earlier, before Doug had tried to touch him. He shouldered his way past Stuart and walked towards the table.

"This looked great! Man, you can never go wrong with pancakes." he said and he helped himself to a plate, a subtle sense of disharmony settling over his efforts to appear normal. Despite the normality of the scene, the bruise on his face was a harsh reminder that all was not well. Stuart tried not to notice how, even though Phil had filled his plate, he didn't seem be be eating at all, or how his hands shook slightly as he poked the food with his fork. But Phil seemed okay, almost normal. Talking and making jokes with Doug and scowling at Alan's weird remarks. The brittle disharmony that he had displayed earlier was nearly gone, perhaps what he needed _was _some time alone to recover from whatever Marshal had done to him.

"So," Phil clapped his hands. "Lets get down to business, where are we going to look first. I want to find that Chinese hipster and get out of this hell hole."

Doug exchanged a look with Stuart, they had already planned everything out; he was going to stay here with Phil and watch him, and maybe coax out just what happened. "Well, we were thinking that Chow may come back here to gather his...things." Chow had left a large bag of what they could only assume was illegal drugs in one of the cabinets, "So one of us ought to stay here, just in case he does."

Phil nodded, "Thats a great idea! well planned, knowing Chow he probably will come back for his stash. Who's gonna stay?"

Stuart answered, "Doug and Alan are going to go check up on the rooftop-just in case- and we were thinking that you and I would stay here." he did not add _since you are obviously not well enough to be walking around outside._

Phil nodded, and Stuart tensed, hoping that Phil would agree, that he would not shake and stutter like he had done before, but Phil just smiled and said "seems fair enough."

When they had finished eating, Alan stood up. "Well, might as well get started before Chow strays too far from us." he stated, and then left the table mumbling something about finding his satchel.

Doug stood up too, "You will be okay here for a little while?" he asked, mainly to stuart. He nodded, "We will be just fi-alright. We'll be alright. Just go find Chow. If he shows up here I'll call you."

Doug's face brightened, and he reached into his pocket, "Oh, by the way, Phil I have your phone." he pulled the cell out and held it for Phil to see. Phil smiled, and stood up to get it, "Thanks man", as he reached across the table, his sleeve pulled up over his wrist revealing what looked like dark bruising and….blood?

"What's that?" Stuart asked immediately, reaching for the wrist.

Phil flinched again and, pulled his arm out of Stuarts grasp, "it's nothing." he stated, and stepped backwards, away from the table.

"No, let me see Phil, please?" Stuart asked, reaching for the wrist again. This time the flinch was followed by a rough shove.

"Get the hell away from me. What the fuck are you doing?"

"_Phil. _Stop, just let me-"

"NO!"

Stuart managed to block this swing, forcing Phil to take another step backwards, right into Alan who grabbed him from behind, wrapping his arms around his chest. Phil gasped and struggled wildly against Alan.

"Alan! Alan let him go!" Doug shouted, he tried to get closer but Phil swung a leg towards him and he jumped back. Phil managed to wiggle free of Alan's grasp but as he made a mad dash towards the door, he tripped over a step and went crashing down.

"Phil!" Stuart shouted, rushing to his friend. Phil sat up slowly, and pulled his legs into his chest groaning softly and rubbing where his shoulder had hit the ground. He kept his head bowed, and didn't meet anyones eye as Stuart slowly knelt next to Phil, and he heard Doug come up behind him.

"Phil?" he asked, but Phil remained still and silent until-

"Let us see, Phil." Doug asked gently, and when Phil didnt move, Stu reached towards the arm and Phil allowed him to turn it over and look at the wrist. It was only when he tried to lift up the black fabric of the shirt, to see what was underneath did Phil react. he hissed and tried to pull his arm away, but Stuart held on.

"Its alright." Stu said, and he felt Phil's arm tremble as he pushed the sleeve over his forearm. He tried to contain his gasp, as he saw what he had seen at the table: dark patches of dried blood from deep diagonal cuts that went up and down his. There were several hand shaped bruises, and a deep rope burn right before the wrist. He heard Doug gasp, then yell at Alan to call the front desk for a first aid kit.

"Phil...Phil why didn't you say anything?" Stuart asked quietly, Phil kept his head low, not looking him in the eye. "It's nothing." he whispered to his knees.

"No, this is not nothing. You have to tell me, what did they do to you? Just this?" Stuart asked, Phil nodded but remained quiet for several beats but then he answered in a small whisper:

"My other arm. They pulled my hands up behind me, tied me to a chair."

He heard a knock at the door, but Stuart stayed where he was, staring at Phil and silently cursing Marshall for his cruelty.

Then, "But he made them stop, after he saw. Just this, nothing else."

"Who, Marshal?"

Another nod.

Then Alan came over with the first aid kit in his hands, he knelt down next to them, his eyes were dark and grave.

"The first aid kit is here, let us fix your arms"

Phil finally looked at him, he grasped Stuart's hand, and his eyes were fierce.

"There is nothing else wrong with me, I am fine." he insisted, an obvious lie.

Phil gripped Stu's hand until his knuckles turned white and his arm shook, "There's nothing else wrong. I'm fine." Phil repeated, the dark bruise on his face giving away his claim.

Stuart swallowed, but nodded.

"All right." he said.

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The room remained quiet, the only sound was Phil's harsh breathing as he sat still and silent while Alan tended to his arms. The left arm was just as bad as the right one. Stuart and Doug exchanged glances, what were they going to do now? It was obvious that Phil was lying when he said there was nothing else wrong.

"We have to get going, Stu. We gotta find Chow before tomorrow night." Doug said, a bitter reminder that they were on a time limit, that they couldn't afford any more delays.

"You and Alan stick to the plan. Go look up on the roof, in the casino, anywhere that he might have gone too. I'll stay here, in case he comes back. Maybe I'll try to email him, let him know what we have." Stuart suggested.

"All done." Alan announced, closing the first aid kit and looking up at Stuart. Phil muttered "thanks" and pulled his sleeves back over his arms, hiding the white bandages from sight. Alan touched Phil's knee lightly, and his brow furrowed with concern as Phil twitched away from his touch. Alan stood and leaned over close to Stu.

"Be sure to watch him." he warned in a grave whisper. Stuart nodded, then patted Alan's shoulder.

"Thanks Alan. Now, go help Doug out." Alan nodded and walked over to where Doug was standing.

"Phil..." Stu started, and he waiting until Phil was looking in his direction before he continued. He squatted down next to his friend, "Phil, look at me." he asked, hoping, praying that phil would finally look him in the eye. Their eyes met for a second and then Phil looked away, staring into his knees and Stuknew it was pointless to ask what happened.

"Alan and Doug are going to go now, do you need anything?" he asked instead

Phil shook his head, "I'm fine." he repeated in a small whisper.

Stuart nodded, "Okay." feeling slightly lost on what to do now. He stood up and looked at Doug, who was waiting with Alan by the door.

"Go, we'll be fine." he told them, and added what he hoped was a reassuring smile. They hesitated for a moment, and then Doug headed towards the door, with Alan in tow.

Stuart waited until the door was shut, then he sat down next to Phil with his back against the couch. _Just play it cool, like today was any other day._

" What a crazy weekend, huh? I swear, this is the last time I'm ever heading out to Vegas." he said, turning towards Phil, who was picking at a thread on his jeans, staring intently at his knees.

"Yeah." he replied after a moment, "It was."

"Alan's a great gambler, without him we wouldn't have come up with the 4 grand."

"I'm glad you did."

"Yeah."

Then silence. Phil shivered and pulled his legs in tighter and Stu watched helplessly as Phil tried to pull himself away from what he could only assume were memories of what happened.

"Phil?" he asked

Phil's head jerked up, and he clutched his hands together.

"Sorry." he mumbled, and he put his hands up to his face. Stu was startled to see that his friend was battling for composure. Phil had always been the strong one, never wearing his emotions on his sleeves, or voicing his own troubles. He had always been there for Stu and Doug, always with an answer and a solution.

"No, it's alright." then Stu sat up straighter, "Come on, lets go sit by the window. you can help me figure out how to email chow on that ipad Doug's got." he suggested. Phil nodded, the pushed himself up to standing.

"Good idea. I was thinking we could set up a time to meet, and use his stash as a bargaining chip, then he might come willingly." he said, almost normally and then he strode over to the couches by the window without waiting for Stu.

Stu got up stiffly and followed him, very aware of the sudden change of followed phil and found him on the couch nearest the window, doug's ipad in hand.

"Do you know the password?" he asked lightly

"Yeah, its Vegas, uhh 8-3-4-2-7 I think." stuart replied, Phil taped on the pad.

"Wow, youre good, it worked."

"Good." Stuart said, before sitting down on the couch across from Phil, now knowing that his friend didn't like being in close contact with anyone. If Phil noticed it, he didn't say anything. They sat in silence as Phil tapped out an email on the pad with a fierce determination that didn't quite fit in with the quiet peacefulness of the room, or it's view.

Stuart watched Phil, the sunlight coming through the window highlighted his face, making the bruise appear deeper and darker than it was. Phil moved slightly, and his shirt shifted revealing his neck and part of his collarbone, and several dark oval shaped bruises, nearly as dark as the one on his face. They looked, well, they almost looked like _hickies. _Stuart thought back to what Alan had said earlier, _they took it away from him, he can never escape it. _What did that mean? _Could they have-no that would have been too cruel, even for Marshal's men. _Stuart sighed, this was just another fragment of the story of Phil's captivity, He silently cursed Marshal as he added the bruises to the growing list of injuries that he had inflicted. _You should say something, maybe he'll be willing to talk about it now that it's just us._

Stuart took a deep breathe, and then asked, "How did you get those bruises, man? They look painful." Phil froze for a few moments, then he shrugged and shook his head.

"Not sure, probably during the night, I don't remember."

_He's lying._

"Are you sure? What about the one of your cheek, did Marshall or one of this men do that?"

Phil paused again, like he was battling internally about whether he should say anything or not. then he gave the slightest of nods.

"And those cuts on your arms. did he did those too?"

Phil shrugged. Stuart leaned over the coffee table and put one hand on Phil's knee, only as a gesture of reassurance. "You know you can tell me, right? I swear I wont let anybody else know." Phil moved his knee out of Stuarts grip.

"I know, Stu. It's just-" he sighed and closed his eyes, squeezing them tight.

He took a deep breath, than said "Im fine. Just a little spooked. When-when I woke up I had no idea where I was or who I was with and they-they weren't the most hospital people. I-" he broke off with a wince but it only lasted a few seconds before he gave a small smile, "Doug's usually plays the hostage, I guess-I didn't expect it to be me this time."

"I am so sorry, Phil. I swear, this is the last time we're ever coming here."

Phil laughed softly, "We keep saying that, don't we? And now, well let's hope its the last."

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	4. Part 4

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Somehow they managed to get through the day. Doug and Alan were gone most of it, apparently they had tracked Chow down near the US border, and were driving down to pick him up. Doug gave Stuart exclusive orders to stay in the suite, and not let anybody in or our until they got back. Despite Stuart's best efforts to get Phil to tell him what happened, Phil never spoke about it so he eventually stopped bringing it up. As long as no one touched him, Phil was- for the most part-the same as always.

It was about 3:30 when the phone rang, making them both jump. Stuart picked it up and stood, pacing the floor.

"Doug, please tell me you have good news."

"We got him, Stu. Everything is going to be fine. We just have to keep him until tomorrow."

"Yeah, that'll be the easy part." Stu said, trying to keep the sarcasm at a minimum.

"Anyway, we're heading back now. Probably take us a couple hours. How's Phil?"

Stuart looked up at his friend, who was reading a magazine near the window.

"He's fine, he- hold on." STu said, and then quickly walked into one of the bedrooms, out of hearing range.

"He's a little freaked out. I don't know what they did to him, but he has bruises all over-and he wont let me near him. We gotta bring him to-I don't know- somewhere he can feel safe, where he can get some help."

"As soon as this is over, we will. He will be fine. I promise." Doug said, trying to be comforting.

"Will he?" Stuart whispered

"Yes. Now, we will be there in a few hours. I'll let you know when we're close. We can have dinner at that buffet-, sound good?" Doug asked.

Stuart sighed, "Sou-what about Chow?"

"We have him drugged out of his mind in the back. He'll be fine."

"Good. See you soon! And Doug? You did good."

"Thanks buddy, bye."

Stu walked out of the room and back towards Phil, who was still reading on the sofa.

"That was Doug, they found him and are bringing him back." Stuart said

Phil smiled, "That's great! Then we can finally get the hell out of here."

He shifted and winced slightly, but then the moment passed and he looked up to Stu.

"How's Chow? How'd they get him to come?" he asked

Stu shrugged, "Drugs, I guess."

Stu sat down, "They're driving back now, then we're gonna all meet for dinner. Sound good?"

Phil nodded, "Sure."

"Phil-"

"For the last time, Stu. I am fine-"

"I know you're fine, I was just going to say that it might help if you tell me what happened-"

"_Nothing _happened. I'll get over it and be fine. Ive done so much messed up shit in my life that this will be easy to forgot. I will be fine."

Phil smiled a little, "Really, I am okay."

"Okay, but the offer still stands, if you need anything-"

"I'll let you know. I know, I know Stu. Stop worrying so much!"

He went back to looking at the magazine, flipping the pages to conceal the shaking in his hands. Stu furrowed his brow and watched his friend reading, like everything was normal. But it _wasn't. _None of this was, Phil was usually so open about everything, to the point where he told him things he _didn't _want to know. But this, whatever it was, Stu needed to understand because Phil was acting different, like something had scared him. But why would they do that? He had just been a hostage, Doug had always come back okay whenever he had been taken. Sure, he had been a little shaken, they had kidnapped him, but they never hurt him. This time was so different, he just didn't know what to do. How could he make things alright when Phil wouldn't even look him in the eye? Stu sighed suddenly frustrated, what was Phil not telling him?

"No." he said

Phil looked up from the magazine

"No what?" he asked

"No, you're not okay." Stu stated, but immediately regretted it when he saw the panic flash through Phil's face.

"What do you mean? I said I was fine." Phil answered, putting the magazine down and sitting up straight.

"But you're not, you're not fine, Phil. You have bruises everywhere, and those cuts. Who did that to you? Did you?" Stu asked

"What? Did I? No Stu! Why would I do that?"

"I dont know, maybe because Marshall _tortured _you?"

"Tortured? What are we, in the fucking middle ages or something?" Phil asked

"But he did do that to you, didn't he?" Stu continued, motioning to the bruise, and then to the bandages.

Phil sighed and then held up his hands, " Alright, alright. If you must know, It-it wasn't Marshall. Some of his I-dont-know- _people _thought it would be fun to take a couple swings at me, but Marshall made them stop. After he saw what they did. _Nothing_ else happened." he finished, looking down at his knees. Stu sighed, he was still getting the feeling that Phil wasn't telling him something but he felt like he shouldn't pry any more.

"Okay, that's all I needed to know, Phil. I was worried. You haven't been-"

"Haven't been what?" Phil cut in, he shifted again on the couch and Stu saw him wince.

"Y-you. You've just seemed a little off ever since-"

"Well, I'm fine. Im going to be fine. Can you just drop it?" Phil asked

Stu sighed, this was going no where. "Fine, you're right. You're fine. Im going to go shower, if you need any-"

"I'll let you know. I know. Stop worrying about every little thing." Phil cut in, annoyed.

"Right. "

And Stu left towards his room, leaving Phil by himself on the couch.

888

After the shower, Stu spent the time pacing in his room generally worrying about Chow, Doug and Alan, and Phil's deteriorating state of mind. What had happened to him? He was definitely not okay, but he kept saying nothing was wrong, that nothing happened. How were they going to fix this? What if it got worse? What would Stephanie say? Would they tell her? What would she do, when she saw how broken her husband was? This would be the end of them hanging out together for sure.

He looked up at the clock in his room, it was nearly 6. Doug and Alan should be back soon. He quickly fixed his collar in the mirror and then opened his bedroom door. Phil was asleep on the couch, curled into an almost fetal position and snoring softly. Stu walked softly over to the bar, stepping quietly so he wouldnt wake his friend. As he was pulling a bottled water out of the fridge, his phone rang. Stu winced at the loud noise, hoping it wouldnt wake Phil, but it didnt. Still, Stu went into the next room before he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Stu, it's Doug. We're just pulling into the hotel. We have Chow in the back, so we're gonna park and then bring him up there."

"Sounds good, do you need help?"

"No, he's a small son of a bitch. Go get us a table at the buffet, we will meet you there."

"Great."

"Everything going okay up there? How's Phil?"

Stu sighed, "Phil, Phil is fine. I think he will be, you know how quick he bounces back."

"That's good. So, we will meet you there?"

"Yup."

And Stu hung up, and walked back into the living room. He wondered if he should even wake Phil up, but then he remembered that Phil hadnt eaten anything all day. Dinner would do him some good.

"Phil?" Stu asked, gently touching his friend's shoulder.

"Phil?"

Phil woke with a jump, and sat up, shrugging away Stu's hand.

"Hmmm wha?" he asked, still sleepy.

"Doug and Alan are back, with Chow. We're going to meet them at the buffet for dinner." Stu told them, and Phil nodded.

" Downstairs?" he asked

"Yup, at the buffet."

Phil hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, "Alright."

He stood up slowly, and Stu motioned for him to walk first towards the door. Phil pulled his sleeves down further to cover the bandages, then walked over to the table and grabbed his sunglasses. He put them on, the lenses half hiding the bruise on his face. With the glasses on, he looked almost normal. Phil noticed Stu's stare, he shrugged his shoulder;

"What?" he asked

"Nothing, nothing. Let's go." Stu answered.

The elevator ride down was silent, Phil leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. When they got to the restaurant, it was busy and crowded with early diners. Phil stopped short, so quickly that Stu nearly ran into him.

"Phil?" he asked

Phil shook his head slightly, and dug his hands deeper into his pockets.

"A-actually, Im not that hungry, I can just go back upstairs." Phil said quickly, turning around.

"No, wait. _Phil!" _Stu grabbed his arm and stopping him.

"You gotta eat something, man. Come on, it's not that crowded. And look, there is Doug and Alan."

He pointed as he saw them emerge from the stairwell, covered in dust and looking exhausted.

Phil jerked his arm out of Stu's grasp and took a couple of steps back.

"There's too many-I dont know." he said softly, and then "I-I need a minute." he turned away from them, and Stu was surprised to see that his eyes were glassy under the sunglasses. Stu stepped away from Phil.

"Alright, Im going to talk with Doug. You okay here for a moment?" he asked and Phil nodded. Then Stu walked up towards Doug and Alan.

Doug gave a tired smile, "Hey man, how's it going?"

"It's alright. Thank you so much for finding him." Stu said, smiling.

"How'd it go today?" Doug asked, then he noded towards Phil.

"Everything okay?"

Stu shrugged, "Fine, I guess. He's fine, come on lets go eat."

Doug nodded, "Yeah, Im hungry. Come on, Alan." he said, but Alan was staring at Phil, who was still battling for composure.

"What's wrong with Phil?" he asked, real concern in his voice.

"Nothing, Phil is fine. Let's go." Stu said quickly, knowing that when Phil was ready, he would follow them.

"Can I go talk to him?" Alan asked. Stu and Doug exchanged looks, it wouldnt hurt, would it? Alan had always looked up to Phil, and who knew, maybe Alan would make him better.

"Sure buddy. Doug and I will go get us a table."

Stu motioned for Doug to follow, and they both headed towards the hostess. It wasnt until they were seated that Alan came back inside, alone.

"Where is Phil?" Stu asked, concerned that Alan had let him go off by himself.

"Guys, we need to talk." Alan said seriously. He sat down in the booth and looked at Stu, and then to Doug.

"What's up, Alan?" Doug asked

"This won't work." he said, and Stu tried very hard not to roll his eyes.

"What wont work, Alan? Where is Phil?" Stu asked again.

"He took one look at this-" Alan pointed to the restaurant, crowded with diners, " and nearly ran back upstairs."

Stu looked around, it was crowded but that had never bothered him, or anyone else including Phil before.

"Why? Did he say something?" Stu asked, but Alan shook his head.

"No, I could just tell."

"Then howabout we move outside, onto the patio. Will that work?" Doug asked, Alan though for a moment, and then nodded.

"Yes. I'll go get him, and we'll meet you out back."

"Are you sure thats-" Stu started to ask, but Alan had already stood up and started walking towards the door. Stu looked at Doug, who shrugged.

"Let's go?" he asked, and Stu nodded.

After they had moved outside, Phil and Alan joined them. Phil was quiet, a sign that meant he was battling with his memories again. Stu had seen this throughout the day, how Phil would seem perfectly normal, but then he would go still and quiet. These episodes never lasted long, after a few moments Phil would come back, smile and go back to being himself.

Stu noticed, once again that Phil only picked at his plate, barely eating any of the food on it. His doctor instincts told him to make sure Phil ate, but he knew if he said anything it would only bring attention to the fact that Phil was not okay, so he stayed quiet.

It was Alan who brought a sense of normalcy to the group, as he rambled on about random things that no one else really cared about. If anything, it seemed to keep Phil grounded, which was good.

Stu sighed, this time tomorrow all of this would be over, and they could finally all go home and forget that this weekend ever happened.

888


	5. Part 5

888

"Chow still should be out, we spiked his drink with Alan's ADHD meds." Doug said, as they waited for the elevator.

Stu nodded, "Good. Think we could call Ethan, square the deal off early?"

They still had 12 hours to go before the set meeting time.

Doug shrugged, "Hmm, better not. Who knows what he'll do. Plus-" he nodded towards Phil, who was leaning against the wall, eyes closed behind his aviators. Dinner had been a quiet affair, after they had moved outside Phil had seemed better, if anything else. They had gotten him to eat, which had helped a little. Now though, Stu could tell he was struggling with the memories that plagued him.

"Hey Phil? Remember the beach in Bangkok?" Stu asked, deciding to try something, to see if he could help pull Phil out of whatever was haunting him.

Phil opened his eyes.

"Hmm?"

"We had those beers, and we watched the moon rise" Stu continued, and Phil gave a small smile, "Yeah, that was great."

"Haha remember when I mixed up those bags of marshmallows?" Alan added with a small laugh.

"Hahaha, Alan." Doug laughed sarcastically.

"And Stu made love to that man-stripper." Alan added with a smile.

Stu felt his stomach tighten, why did Alan _always _have to bring that up?

"Hey! What happened to the never-speaking-of-that-again-pact?" Stu asked shortly, annoyed.

Alan covered his mouth in mock surprise, "Oops, sorry man."

Stu sighed, "It's okay, Alan. Just don't bring it up again."

Stu shook his head, and traded and annoyed look with Doug. He shook his head, but then his eyes went to Phil. Stu followed his gaze and saw that Phil was staring at him, and odd, almost pained expression on his face.

"Phil?" he asked, but the beeping of the elevator made Phil jump, and he looked away. They rod up in silence. Phil gripped the handrail, and Stu saw that once again he was fighting for control. Stu looked over to Doug with a worried look; these episodes were becoming more frequent, and neither of them really knew what to do. Doug reached out to Phil, but then stopped when Phil flinched away.

"You alright?" he asked

"I'm fine."

And the doors opened. Alan shouldered his way forward, "I hope Leslie is up. I'd like to start a game of D and D."

Stu rolled his eyes and followed the bearded man back into the suite.

Chow wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Chow? Leslie?" Alan asked

And then they heard a shrill war cry as Chow came barreling out of one of the closets, welding a lamp as a weapon. He tackled Phil head on, sending them both crashing to the floor.

"You kidnap me?" he shouted, slamming the lamp into Phil's chest.

"No-no Chow-" Phil tried to protest but was caught off by Chow's strangled scream.

"You fuck with me?!"

Stu ran forward, but before he could do anything, Phil grabbed the lamp from Chow, twisting over and slammed the lamp down next to Chow's head. They both struggled to grab it as both Stu and Doug circled them, trying to stop them from killing each other.

"Hey! Stop!" Doug shouted, standing helplessly on the sidelines as they fought. Finally, Chow threw Phil off and struggled to standing, a bruise forming underneath his eye.

"What's his problem?" Chow asked. He straightened up, then took a step towards Phil, who was still on the floor, breathing hard and fighting for control. Stu stared at Phil, of course Chow hadnt known what Phil had gone through, that the slightest touch would trigger an almost violent reaction.

"You got problems, dude." Chow said, leaning over and slapping Phil's shoulder. Phil shuttered, and then grabbed Chow's arm and pushed him away, and Chow fought back. Phil didn't care though, he lunged at Chow with a strangled cry.

"Phil! Phil stop!" Doug shouted, grabbing at Phil's arm, but Phil pulled away and shoved Doug. Hard.

"Stop." Phil shouted, his whole body trembling, but Chow didn't. He grabbed the lamp and struck him on the back, Phil grunted and rolled away, grabbing the lamp from Chow, he held it out in front of him, pointing it at Chow, then Doug, then Stu, arms shaking.

Alan grabbed Stu's arm, eyes pleading "He doesn't know where he is! Stop! Just let him come back!"

"What?" Stu asked

"Just stop, let him come back!" Alan asked again.

Chow made a grab for the lamp, but Phil was quicker. He smacked Chow in the chest, sending the little Chinese man flying with a screech. Phil scuttled backwards, holding the lamp defensively out in front of him.

"Phil…" Doug started, taking a a step towards him, but Phil gasped and held the lamp up higher in a defensive position.

"Stop!" he said, hands shaking "Stop, stop!" he scooted backwards until his back his the wall, his breath coming in gasps.

"Stop. Stop. No. NO!" he shouted, the lamp clattered to the floor as his hands came up to grab his hair.

"Phil?" Stuart asked again, taking a few steps towards his friend and kneeling down a few feet from him.

"Phil." he said, trying to bring him back, to do anything to make -whatever this was- stop. Phil gasped shuttering he clutched his hair, but then he looked up at them and his eyes were pleading.

"Doug, Stu-make it stop. I cant-they wont stop-I cant-please." he stuttered "Im fine, FINE, no. They wont stop-I can't. No no NO no!" he continued, pounding his head against the wall and pulling at his hair with each word. Stu inched closer and reached out his hand.

"Phil, stop. It's okay, everything is going to be okay-" he said

"No, no no. Stop! Stop!" The mantra continued. Stuart dropped his hand and watched helplessly as his friend was once again taken by the memories.

"Doug, call...call someone. We have to help him."

"Okay." he heard Doug move away, towards the phone but Stu stayed where he was. Phil didn't seem to see him anymore, he continued the chanting and hair pulling. Then, suddenly- finally Phil reached for him, grabbing his arm and pulling him close, his eyes wide with panic.

"Stu, I-I-cant. Please, Please they wont stop. Please, make it stop." he pleaded

"Phil. Phil. Okay, we will. I promise." Stu answered, grabbing hold of Phil's other hand.

"Just stay with me. Phil, Phil look at me." he demanded and Phil finally looked him in the eye. Stu almost flinched away at the broken soul staring back at him, and then he realized just what Marshall's men had taken. He barely heard the arrival of the medics, and then the murmurs as Doug told them what had happened.

A medic knelt down next to them, holding a needle.

"Its a sedative." she told Stu.

Stu nodded "Phil, listen to me." he said, and waited until their eyes locked, "everything is going to be okay. We're going to make them stop, I promise." he said.

"Keep talking, I need to pull his shirt down." the medic asked, and Stu nodded again.

"Phil, you're going to be fine." he continued, keeping a firm grip on Phil's hand. But Phil flinched and struggled when the medic touched his arm to pull down his sleeve.

"Look at me, Phil. We're going to help you." Stuart told them, and they locked eyes again.

"Remember in Bangkok, when we lit the lanterns. It was so beautiful, as they drifted across the water…" Phil stared at him, hanging on to every word.

"Done." the medic said, pulling the needle back. Phil panicked slightly as the drugs started to kick in.

"Stu? Stu? I-I-" he stammered

"Shhh, it's going to be okay." Stu comforted him, squeezing his hand, and finally Phil's head dropped, and he slumped against the wall.

"We're going to take him to the ER." the medic told him, and Stu could tell she was nearly as shaken as he was.

"Alright. Doug and I will follow."

Alan, who had been standing motionless, watched silently as the medics lifted the unconscious Phil into a stretcher and pulled him away.

"Alan, you alright?" Stu asked, and Alan nodded slowly.

"You stay here with Chow." Stu continued, motioning towards the unmoving lump that was the small Chinese man. Alan nodded again.

"Is Phil going to be okay?"

"He's going to be fine, buddy. Don't worry." Doug answered.

"Just stay here. We'll let you know when we get there." Stu added

Alan nodded again, and then backed up until he was sitting on the couch as Doug and Stu exited the room slowly.

888


	6. Part 6

I have reformatted this story so that the first chapter isn't as long. There will be new material but on the later chapters. Sorry if this caused any confusion! I did some major rewriting this weekend, so it might be best to start from the beginning again. Thanks!

888

Doug drove the Mercedes, following the ambulance to the hospital. Stu took in a shaky breath, this was all happening so fast.

"You okay, man?" Doug asked

"Yeah, just shaken up. Ive never seen-"

"I know. Me too."

"The way he looked at you when Alan brought up that-that incident in Bangkok." Doug mentioned softly,

"In the elevator?"

"In the elevator. He looked, I dont know- like he was realizing something-do you think thats what Marshall-"

"Yea. I think so. It all makes sense, the way he wouldn't let us touch him, or how he wouldn't look anyone in the eye. Until now."

"Will the doctors be able to tell?" Doug asked

"I mean, they'll have to do tests, or something, right?"

"I think so." Stu answered

They pulled into the parking lot and Doug turned off the car. The ER was quiet when they walked in. The only sound was the clicking of the nurses heals as they walked up and down the hallway.

Stu and Doug sat silently next to each other, neither of them knew what to say. Stu felt drained, and exhausted-like he had been traveling for months, instead of just a few days. How did it come to this? Phil had always been the strong one, the one that held them together when things went to hell. What were they going to do now? Stu kept thinking back, to yesterday, they should have brought him here right away. Why didn't they? Phil hadn't been alright, they all knew it yet they had done nothing to help him. Except for Alan….

"Alan knew something about this, he said something right after we got him." Stu whispered.

Doug looked at him, "What?"

"He said that they changed him, they took something he could never get back, and then tonight, he was the only one who knew what to do."

"He's a good friend. He's always looked up to Phil-he-"

But then they were interrupted by an approaching doctor.

"Are you with Phillip Winneck?" he asked, and Stu nodded. They were they only ones in the empty emergency room.

"Hi, I am Dr. Smith-"

They both stood up and shook hands. "How is Phil?" Doug asked.

Dr. Smith nodded, "Phil will be fine." and Stu let out a breathe he didnt know he was holding.

"He is still out, but you can see him if you want. We did a full exam, we found a few things…"

The doctor looked up from his clipboard and met Stu's eye, and Stu saw the same look Alan had given him earlier; a grave sad look that meant he had seen something nobody should have to see, something that phil would never want anybody to know, ever. Stu knew the feeling all to well, after Bangkok he felt like he could never look anybody in the eye again, he felt tarnished, tainted with the aftermath of an event that never should have happened.

Stu stood up straighter, "what did you find?" he asked, and the doctor motioned towards a private room. Stu suddenly felt that the less people knew, the better so he put his hand on Doug's shoulder.

"Why dont you go sit with him, I'll talk to Dr. Smith."

"But-"

"Go. He'll want someone there if he wakes up." Stu insisted.

"Room 304, on the left." Dr. Smith added

Doug nodded, "alright."

Stu squeezed his shoulder, and then followed Dr. Smith inside the room. He sat down in a chair, flipping through his chart.

"We found bruises, a few cracked ribs. And when he wakes, we would like to conduct a S.A.E" the doctor said calmly, looking Stu directly in the eye as he spoke.

"S.A.E?" Stu asked, confused by the medical jargon.

The doctor hesitated for a moment, but then answered "A sexual assault exam. Some of the bruisings indicate a forced attack. We just want to make sure everything is accounted for, and if it was a sexual attack, we are required to report it to the police."

Stu felt a cold sense of dread spread through him, and he desperately wanted this conversation to be over.

"it would be best to have him see someone, who he can talk to about what happened to him." the doctor continued, and Stu nodded.

"May I see him?" he asked. The doctor paused, he looked like he wanted to say more, but then he nodded.

"Yes. Let's go see your friend." he said, and then stood up, motioning for Stu to exit the room.

888

Phil was still sleeping when they queitly entered the room. Doug was sitting next to him in a chait he had pulled from the desk. He stood, mumbling about finding another chair sd he left out the door. The doctor rambled on about bruises, cracks and dehydration but Stu wasnt listening, that shattered look Phil had given him playing on repeat in his mind's eye.

"Do you know who his assaultant was?" the doctor asked, and Stu hestitated before shaking his head.

"We're required to file a police report on all attacks and assaults." the doctor countinued. Stu shook his head again, knowing that Marshall was a very powerful drug lord, he didnt want to risk it. Especially since they now had families they needed to protect.

"And the lacerations on his forearms, were they self inflicted or…" the doctor trailed off, and Stu shook his head again.

"No-no! Phil would never-he was attacked, and beaten!-"

"Okay, okay. I just needed to check. I am re-"

They were interrupted by a beeping, and Dr. Smith checked his pager.

"Ive got to go now, if you need anything just ask on of the nurses to page me."

Stu nodded and he saw Doug in the doorway, holding a second chair in his hands. He stepped in as the doctor stepped out.

"Hey." Doug said softly

"Hi."

"I got you a chair."

"Thanks."

They both stared at the sleeping Phil, the only sound now was the quiet beeping of the monitor. Doug sighed, and then walked over and put the chair down next to the window.

"Think we should call someone? Stephanie?" he asked, and Stu shrugged. . Phil had always been a proud father, and a loving husband despite his sarcastic comments about the married life. Stu knew he would do anything for his family, except go to Disneyland with his inlaws. Maybe that's why, when the trip to the happiest place on earth loomed into view, Phil had pushed so hard for a trip to Vegas. Stu never understood it, but atleast it was just Disneyland. This weekend

"I drove past their house last week, there were Mickey Mouse bouquets on the front lawn." doug said

"Really? Oh the horror."

"Yeah. No wonder Phil wanted to get to Vegas. Disney is great but, with a 18 month old. Can you imagine?"

"I know."

Doug sighed, and then placed a hand lightly on the bed.

"So what do we do now?" he whispered

"We wait." Stu answered, and then walked over to sit in the chair. Doug sat down in the other chair. It was silent for a few moments and then they both jumped as Doug's cell rang.

"It's Alan." he said, then stood up and went outside to answer it. Stu watched him go, them turned to look at Phil, who was still out cold from the drugs. What else was Phil hiding from them? Stu shifted in his seat, what would it be like when he awoke? What would he even say to him? Stu had no idea.

Doug came back in, sticking his phone in his pocket.

"Alan wants to bring Chow now, he's been freaking out about it." he said.

"What time is it?" Stu asked

"Quarter to 9. He's not due until 6:00 tomorrow evening."

"Then we have some time." Stu said

"Yeah."

"Go calm him down, I can stay here." Stu said, lightly taping the bed.

Doug nodded, "okay. Will you be alright?"

Stu nodded, "Yeah. We'll be fine."

"Call me if he wakes up.

"I will."

Doug touched the bed, concern flooding his handsome features and then turned to leave the room.

Stu read a magazine, and the another. Even though it was late, he didnt feel tired at all. He suddenly felt antsy, so he stood up and paced for awhile, then walked over to the window and looked up at the stars. They had always been a comfort to him, even in the worst of times.

888

Stu woke with a start as a hand gently shook his shoulder he opened his eyes and saw a women dressed in a janitor's uniform,. He had fallen asleep in his chair by the window. He was surprised to see that it was light outside, he had slept all through the night.

"Sir, we have to clean the room now, Go get a cup of coffee, we'll be done by the time you get back." she said kindly. Stu nodded, still fighting away sleep.

"Phil?" he asked

"Your friend is fine, still asleep."

"Okay."

Stu left to find some coffee, and some breakfast. He called Doug, and then Lauren, walking around the hospital almost in a trance. He was still exhausted from yesterday. Finally, he headed back to the room.

Phil was awake.

Stu smiled and walked over to the chair, keeping in Phil's range of sight.

"Hey buddy, how ya doing?" he asked gently.

Phil blinked a few times, still fighting off the drugs. He squeezed his eyes shut and shuddered slightly, then opened them again looking up at the ceiling. He was quiet but Stu still found no ease at this apparent peace, Phil seemed empty. Void.

"Phil?" he asked again, and finally Phil moved his head to look at him.

"Where...?" he asked groggily

"You're in the hospital, we took you here after last night. Do you remember?" Stu asked

Phil furrowed his brow and shook his head. Then struggled to sit up. Stu helped tilt the bed up so he could sit, being very careful not to touch him. Phil pulled his knees up to his chest and looked down at his hands. He fingered the IV attached to his left hand, eyes following the tubing up to the hospital monitors. His head moved slightly, and Stu realized that Phil had said something.

"Phil? What did you say?" he asked softly, hoping that Phil would answer. Phil was silent for only a moment, but he then said, "Why-"

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked in a dry voice, barely audible.

"Why?" Stu asked

"I said I was fine."

"Phil-last night, we were worried. You weren't-weren't yourself. You haven't been yourself since Marsh-" but he stopped when he saw Phil wince at the name.

"Don't…" Phil whispered, closing his eyes and holding up his free hand.

Stu sighed, he didn't know what to do, or say. Phil seemed so different now, so brittle, on the edge he just didn't know how to act.

Phil sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"Phil, we weren't-you did not hurt anyone, except for Chow and believe me, that little son of a bitch deserved it-its just, we needed to know what happened to you."

Phil ducked his head, "so you know?" he asked, his voice a brittle whisper but before Stu could answer Phil continued,

"You know that I, a grown man could not defend myself against them? That I was weak? As helpless as a child? Used?" he asked

Stu answered carefully, "Phil we know it wasn't your fault. They-they tortured you. They weren't supposed to hurt you. We should have brought you here right away, we should have known. I am so sorry, Phil." Stu finished, looking up at his friend.

Phil shook his head. "But I'm fine. I will be fine. I just need some time to forget." He gave a little shudder and drew his knees in closer, clutching at the blanket with his hands. Stu watched helplessly as his friend fought the memories. Phil then started speaking in a thin, quiet whisper.

"They-they threatened my family...I couldn't-I couldn't let them hurt you."

Stu felt his heart jump at the mention of Stephanie, and their two young children, but he let Phil continue.

"They said they knew them and they would hurt them if I didn't-so I-I-thought I was protecting them and I thought maybe, just maybe it was worth it but it hurts-"

Phil broke off, resting his forehead on his knees and grabbing his hair. Stu reached out and touched Phil's shoulder, trying to be a comfort but he dropped his hand when he felt Phil stiffen. From the vicinity of his knees, Phil continued speaking rapidly in a desperate whisper.

"I didn't want anybody to know-to know how weak I was so I tried to be okay. I tried-Ive tried all day but I cant, it hurts too much."

"Phil" Stu said quietly, "You're the strongest man I know, I-"

But Phil shook his head, "No! No Im not-you cant say that, Im not-not anything anymore…" he started rocking back and forth, pulling his hair. "No-No Im not, you cant-you can't. No no no no…" the vibrating sense of contained mayhem returning as he continued chanting softly.

"Phil!" Stu grabbed Phil's hands long enough to stop them from pulling at his hair but let immediately when Phil winced and pulled away. Phil continued speaking, in the same rapid, desperate voice.

"I cant stay here, I have to go away, where no one knows…"

"Phil, why?" Stu asked, how could his friend think so little of them, that they wouldn't want him around after they found out what happened.

"You are one of my best friends, do you really think I would let something like-like what was done to you change anything?" he asked

Phil scowled in disbelief, "Everythings changed! I'm changed. I'm damaged, fouled. Thats what they said."

"No Phil-you're not-"

But Stu was cut off by a sharp laugh, "I suppose I could just off myself now, they said that's all I'd be good for, when they were done with me."

"What?" Stu hissed, appalled that Phil would even think that, "Phil, no."

Phil looked up at him, and Stu forced himself not to flinch away from the shattered soul looking back at him.

"I cant be like this, don't you see? I don't deserve to be here, after-you dont need me like this."

Phil shivered and he rubbed his arms. Stu stared at him, lost at what to do. He know Phil had been hurt, they all did. Even Alan knew on some level that Phil wasn't okay, but he hadn't realized the extent of the damage. Phil had allowed those men to hurt him, torture him, making him believe that he was protecting Stu and Doug, and their families. Stu felt sudden tears in his eyes, Phil had sacrificed everything he had in order to make sure that they were safe and now he was broken because of it.

"Phil, Phil listen to me." he said, and Stu waited until Phil was looking at him to continue.

"You are the bravest, strongest man Ive ever know. You're the father of two beautiful children, and the coolest school teacher in all of LA. And best of all, you are my best friend."

Phil stared at him, a desperate home in his eyes, but then he shook his head.

"Im not-I don't know, I cant…"

Stu smiled softly and he rested his hand pn Phil's arm, careful of the bandages beneath the hospital gown.

"Yes you can, because you are not only the strongest, but the bravest man I know."

Phil smiled a little, and Stu saw a flash of the old Phil, but then it was gone.

"Im sorry about all this, you must think I'm insane, Ive tried-"

"Phil, we all know you've tried, no one thinks less of you."

Phil's eyes flashed up in panic, and he seemed to deflate a little.

"What does everyone...does Stephanie-?"

"No! No Phil it's just me-"

"Who else then?" he asked

"The doctors, they did an exam but they just told me, no one else. Doug and Alan are still at the hotel, they dont know anything yet."

Phil nodded, "No one needs to know." he whispered and then his eyes flashed up.

"Please, don't call Stephanie, I don't want her to worry." he asked, eyes pleading. Stu nodded, "Of course, your secret is safe with me. But Phil, she's your wife, dont you think she should-"

Phil cut him off with a shake of his head, "No one needs to know." he repeated.

Stu squeezed his arm lightly, but Phil twitched it away, so he let go. Phil then reached for him and grabbed Stu's sleeve with his free hand.

"But we are safe now. You are safe. I want to-I want to believe-I try to tell myself that it was worth it. Keeping you and Alan and Doug safe."

"No" Stu whispered bitterly, eyes filling with unshed tears. "It was not worth this, not my friends body and soul."

"No" Phil whispered. They stared at each other, something settling between them. Phil left go of Stu's sleeve and grabbed his hand.

"We're gonna be okay, I promise." Stu said softly "we're gonna get Chow outta here, tonight at 6:00 and then we can get out of this hell hole and go home."

"And then what?" Phil asked in a whisper.

"We forget, and move on. It's the only thing we can do."

Phil nodded.

"Okay."

888


	7. Part 7

Just a quick reminder that I did reformat this story, and did some major rewriting. It'll be best to reread it in it's new format. Sorry for the confusion!

888

The call came at 6:05. Stu scrambled for his phone in his pocket trying not to wake Phil, who was sleeping, exhausted from a day of prodding, poking, questions and examinations. Stu stepped outside and answered, "Doug, please tell me something good."

"We did it, man. Everything is going to be okay. They took Chow, no questions asked."

Stu felt a wave of relief hit him. "And my wedding-?"

"We have your ring. We're driving back now."

"Oh thank god."

There was a pause, and then Doug asked "How is he?"

"He's-" Stu paused, how was Phil? Throughout the day, Phil had been quiet and composed, answering the doctors questions and allowing them to examine him-touch him without totally loosing it. Only Stu, who had spent time with Phil the day before and knew the signs could tell that it was getting harder and harder for Phil to find his way back. Phil had distanced himself from them, covering his true emotions with his irresistible charm and quick-wit comments. None of it seemed true to his character though.

"He's going to be fine. They want to keep him one more night." he said

"Have you called anyone yet? Stephanie?" Doug asked

Stu sighed, he probably should. "Not yet, he-he asked me not to, but I should. Shouldnt I?"

"I guess so. Do you want me to-"

"No, no thats okay. Concentrate on getting back safely, I'll do it." Stu said

"Im pretty sure we missed check out time, We'll go deal with the hotel and meet you in the hospital as soon as we can. Sound good?" Doug asked

"Yup, perfect. Just charge it all to my card, we'll figure it out later."

"Thanks man."

"Bye."

Stu hung up, and started to scroll down his contacts for Stephanie's number but then stopped, remembering what Phil had said. He closed his phone, feeling that Phil should have a say in this, seeing that so much of these past few days he had been forced to let other people make decisions for him. Little by little, through out the day Stu had been able to piece together what exactly happened to Phil, and with every piece of it he wanted to kill all of Marshall's men just a little bit more. The doctors weren't much better either with all their blunt medical questions and comments about how it would be better if they admitted Phil into the hospital's psychiatric ward. Stu did agree with them, Phil needed help, just not here, in las vegas. If they could just get home, everything would be sorted out. They just needed to get out of here.

Stu sighed, and then reentered the room and saw that Phil was awake. He had already propped himself up to a sitting position, and was struggling against the IV tubing attached to his left hand to reach a glass of water on the desk.

"Hold on buddy, I'll get it for you. Don't get up." Stu said quickly, walking towards the desk and grabbing the glass.

"I don't understand why I have to have all of this." Phil stated, motioning with his free hand. "Im not sick."

"I know your not, but it's just IV fluids, you were seriously dehydrated when you came in." Stu answered, handing him the water. Phil took it, and then motioned to the monitor attached to his forefinger.

"What's this then? It's just sitting there, not doing anything."

"Thats the Heart Race Monitor. It's monitoring your heart beat." Stu answered. Phil took a sip of the water and leaned back in the bed. "Why do they need to monitor my heart?" he asked. Stu shrugged, "hospital procedure, I guess."

"Do they always use so much tape?" Phil asked

"Yes."

"Well, it sucks."

Stu couldn't help but laugh, and Phil smiled at him. "Are you laughing at me?"

Stu shook his head, "No, well, maybe a little. Im glad to see that your feeling better."

Phil's smile faded a little bit, "yeah...me too."

There was a pause, and then Stu held up his phone.

"I just got off the phone with Dougie, he and Alan are on their way back."

Phil nodded, "everything went well? Chow?"

"Chow is long gone, and they got my ring back. We're just about ready to head home." Stu said with a smile.

"Oh thank goodness. Im really tired of this hospital crap. You know, the nurses arnt even hot here."

Stu laughed and put his phone down, "classic phil."

"Now your starting to sound like Alan."

"Hahahahaaaa."

A nurse walked in just then, holding a tray of food. "Good evening!" she said with a smile, bringing the tray over and setting it down behind Stu on the desk. "How's everything going?" she asked

Phil gave her one of his smiles, "Great, everything is going great."

She smiled back, "Im glad to see you're feeling better, Mr. Wenneck. Now, be sure to eat your dinner, Dr. Smith will be in a little bit later to go over the results of your tests."

Phil nodded, not skipping a beat. "Sure thing, thank you Samantha."

The nurse smiled and then left, closing the door behind her. Stu turned to look at the tray, "Yummm doesn't this look good?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh yeah, looks delicious. Im not that hungry though." Phil said, shaking his head.

"_Phil. _You have to eat, the doctors are monitoring you and if you don't they wont let you leave. Don't you want to go home?" Stu asked, and Phil rolled his eyes.

"Fine, toss me the chocolate pudding."

"No." Stu shook his head

"What? Come on Stu!"

"Eat your veggies first. What am I, your mother?" Stu sighed, slightly exasperated he picked up the tray and placed it in Phil's lap. Despite how happy he was to see that Phil was bouncing back, he was still worried. Phil was still distracting them all from the real underlying issues with his refusal to eat, or meet anybody in the eye.

Phil sighed, then jabbed a broccoli with his fork and stuffing it in his mouth. Stu smiled and sat back down in his chair.

Phil had changed so much, in just a couple of days. He still carried this brittle tension, that wasn't anything like the down to earth nature Stu knew his friend to be.

"Stop looking at me like that, Stu. Im going to be fine" Phil said, putting down his fork.

"Like what? Im not looking at you like anything. Im just...watching you eat, which isn't creepy...when Im your best friend…." Stu trailed off

"Like...I don't know. I don't need your pity right now.." Phil said, picking up his fork again and stabbing another broccoli with so much force that-

"You've got chocolate pudding on your arm." Stu said, pointing the the brown smudges, standing out against the white of the bandages that still covered the cuts and bruises from before.

"Oh crap, that doesn't look good, does it?" Phil asked, looking around for a napkin. Stu turned around and grabbed a tissue from the desk.

"Here." he said, reaching over to dab at the spot. Phil flinched at the sudden close contact and took in a sharp breath. Stu immediately pulled his arm away and leaned back.

"Sorry, sorry I forgot-"

"No no dont apologize Stu." Phil squeezed his eyes shut, "I'm being silly, I'm sorry. I don't know why-" he trailed off and opened his eyes, staring at the dinner tray. _You idiot _Stu scolded himself, _why did you do that? You know he can barely stand to be touched. How can he trust you if you keep doing this? _

"You're not being silly." Stu whispered and Phil looked up at him.

"Thanks for being here, man. I know it hasn't been easy."

"I will always be here for you, Phil. You know that." Stu said, smiling at his friend.

"Are Stu and Phil going to get married?" a whispered voice awkwardly asked, floating in from the doorway. Stu looked up and saw Alan and Doug standing by the door. Alan was looking at Doug, a very serious expression on his face and Doug was trying not to laugh.

"No no, Alan. They are just friends."

"But he just said-"

"That's what friends do. We look out for each other."

"Like a husband and wife?"

"Sure….Hey Stu!" Doug said brightly giving him a little wave and walking over, Alan following close at his heels. Stu smiled back and nodded.

"Hey Dougie, Alan. How'd everything go?" he asked

"All went down smoothly. Everything is in the car." Doug said then turned to Phil, touching the bed softly.

"Hey Phil, how ya doin' buddy?" he asked

Stu saw Phil's hands tremble before he balled them into fists. Something had been triggered, was it the touch or-Stu though back to yesterday, at the restaurant _there's_ _too many people, standing up around him. _But then Phil smiled and looked up at his friend.

"Im doing alright, not getting married though."

Doug laughed, and then walked over to Phil's other side and sat down. Alan followed him and sat down on the floor. He pulled out his cell phone and started playing Angry Birds. Doug and Stu stared at each other, and then at Phil. Out of all their years of friendship, nothing like this had ever happened before. Except, there was that one time in college where Doug had his heart ripped out by the girl he was sure he was going to marry. He had been depressed for weeks after she left, but Phil and Stu were there for him, picking up the pieces. They were always there for eachother. After Bangkok, Stu had battled with himself for days, trying to put himself together after he found out what he did. Phil was there for him then, they all were and now he was determined to be there for Phil. This was different though, Phil had been hurt, badly maybe to the point where it was above Stu to do anything for him. Stu didn't know how to handle something...something like this. Sure, the concept of rape was not unknown to him but it was something that he always heard on the news, or in stories usually followed by words like "murdered" and "kidnapped". Never would he have thought that something like this would happen to someone he knew, and cared about dearly. Based on the look Doug was giving him, Doug didn't know how to handle this either. But he knew that they would try to help Phil as much as they could. Because that's what friends were for.

"So" Doug started, looking at Phil then at Stu "How did today go? Did the doctors help…? Uh yeah." he trailed off awkwardly.

Phil smiled and held up the pudding, "oh yeah, it's been great here. All the free pudding in the world." he said, not quite looking Doug in the eye.

"We're gonna get out of here soon. Dr. Smith said they will release us tomorrow, then we can finally go home." Stu added with a smile.

Doug nodded, "Have you had the chance to call home yet? Im sure Steph and everyone are worried." he asked and Phil went rigid.

"It's okay, Phil. I didn't call, I was waiting to ask you before I did." he said and then he looked at Doug, "No one else has to know about this, alright?"

Doug nodded, "it never happened." he said, with a little smile. Phil looked at Doug, and then over at Stu.

"Thanks, guys." he said softly "But listen, don't call Stephanie. It's the kids first time in Disneyland this weekend. I don't want to ruin it by making their mom so worried."

"Alright, alright Phil. We wont, we promise." Doug said, touching Phil's shoulder lightly. Phil moved away from his touch, shifting in the bed and wincing slightly. Doug put his hand down, and then looked up at Stu, who gave him a shrug.

They all jumped at the sudden knock at the door, but it was just Dr. Smith coming by to check in on them.

"Good evening Phil, Stuart and friends?" he said, motioning to Doug and Alan. Doug stood up and introduced himself, and then pointing to the floor introduced Alan who was too wrapped up in his game to notice what was going on.

Dr. Smith pointed to his clipboard, "I have the results of the tests were preformed today. I'd like to go over them with you if that's alright." He said softly, looking up at Phil.

Phil nodded quietly, "okay." he said faintly.

"We can go, Phil if you want to speak with him privately." Doug said motioning towards Alan, and then the door. Phil nodded again, looking down at his hands. Stu stood up, knowing that Phil wouldn't want him, or anybody hear what the doctor had to say.

"We'll be right outside, Phil. If you need anything, please don't hesitate-"

"I know" Phil answered, eyes flashing up.

"Alright, come on Alan lets go get something to eat." Doug said, ushering Alan out. Stu nodded at Phil and followed behind them.

888

"How much do you know?" Doug asked, "Do you know what they did to him?"

They were sitting in the hospital cafe, eating cold panninis and trying not to think too much about what their friend had gone through. Alan had his head on the table, earphones in his ears. He was exhausted, they all were.

Stu hesitated, but then decided that it wasn't worth hiding the truth from Doug. He would find out eventually.

"I don't know much, just what I know from speaking with Dr. Smith earlier." he answered

"What did he say? I mean, what was that? In the hotel, it was like he wasn't even seeing didn't know where he was, or who he was talking to. It was scary, man." Doug asked, voice shaking a little. "Ive never seen him like that before."

"I know, I know. Sometimes, the doctor said that sometimes when someone has gone through a traumatic event, they experience flashbacks, like they are reliving it. Its called PTSD-post traumatic stress disorder." he tried to explain, feeling like he was doing a bad job of it.

"Is that what he has? What happened to him? Did he tell you?" Doug asked, the questions piling on.

"I think so. He-he wouldn't tell me much, Dougie. Just that Marshall's men beat him, badly. That's all we really need to know though."

Doug nodded, "Will he get better?" he asked

"Yes, of course he will. You know how fast he bounces back. We just have to be there for him. Steph took the kids to Disneyland this weekend, Maybe he can stay with one of us until they come back, make sure he's not alone." Stu said

. "He can stay with me, I know you have your hands full with the twins." Stu added

"Are you sure?" Doug asked

"Of course, he gets scared-um triggered?-is that the word? He prefers not to be touched. At least for now. I noticed yesterday-I know how to pull him back, when the flashbacks come." Stu added, trying and failing to find the right words to describe what he was trying to say.

Doug nodded, "right. Trace and I actually know someone, a psychologist who can help. When we're home. It's best if he saw someone, right?"

"I think so. But we should let him decide, when he's ready."

"Right. Thanks for being with him, Im sorry I wasn't much of a help back at the hotel. I didn't know what to do, or say-"

"Its okay, Doug. I didn't know either, he- I still don't know what Im doing." Stu sighed

"But your a doctor, didn't you learn about this stuff in school?"

Stu scoffed, "Doug, I'm just a dentist. PTSD didn't come up much in oral hygiene class."

Doug laughed, "I guess not"

Stu checked his watch, "It's been about half an hour, should we go back to the room now?"

Doug nodded, and then reached over to poke Alan who woke with a start.

"We're heading back to the room now, Alan." Doug explain, and nodded sleepily.

"And then we can go home?" Alan asked groggily

Stu and Doug both nodded, "Yes."

888

"I'm not sick."

"I know Phil, just hold on-"

"I don't need to be pushed around like some old person. Fuck man, just let me walk!" Phil protested grumpily as Stu rolled him down the hospital hallway in a wheelchair.

"It's hospital policy, when we're at the car you can. I promise." Stu said, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice. This was like the fifth time Phil had complained about the chair. He felt kinda bad, there was no reason why Phil shouldn't be walking, but rules were rules. Phil was doing it again-hiding his anxiety by covering it with sarcastic and witty comments. Besides that, Phil seemed better, less artificially bright and brittle than he had been all weekend.

Doug and Alan were waiting at the curb with the car. When Stu stopped the wheelchair, Phil hopped out with a look that clearly said _I'm fine. _He smiled at Doug, but flinched away from Alan as he awkwardly tried to hug him. Stu sighed, he still needed to talk to Alan about that. He quickly turned around and checked the wheelchair back in, and then headed back to the car.

When he returned everyone was inside, ready to go. Phil had taken shotgun, so Stu climbed in the back with Alan.

"Alright, lets get the hell out of here and go home!" Stu said with a smile, patting the passenger seat.

"Ciao Ciao Vegas, until next time!" Alan shouted. Stu shook his head, there definitely wasn't going to be a next time. He was still recovering from the last time they conquered in Vegas.

"I'm so excited to go home, I am exhausted." Stu stated, and he saw Doug nod.

"I might take a couple of days off from work, and try to get this damn piercing removed." he said.

Alan laughed, "Hahaha I totally forgot you had a weekend!"

Phil turned around in the seat, "What piercing? Did it happen again?" he asked

Stu blushed, "Yes, yes it did. When we woke up like 3 days ago with no memory of what happened, I found this." and Stu pointed at the bright pink industrial bar in his left ear.

Phil smiled, "Aww man, I wish I could have been there to see you wake up to that."

"Yeah, me too." Stu said, looking up at Phil. When Stu, Alan and Doug had woken up three days ago in the hotel room, with no memory of the night before Stu had almost killed Alan. The first two times he had nearly forgiven him, but a third? Really, Alan? And then they had realized that Phil was missing.

"You know, Im still trying to piece that night together myself. What exactly happened?" Phil asked, and Stu paused. Phil didn't remember anything either? How scary it must have been to wake up to the likes of Marshall, and his men.

"Well, Alan decided to rooffie us. Again. _For old times sake." _Stu said sarcastically, shooting a glare at Alan.

"Guys…" Doug tried to facilitate

"You drugged us again, Alan?" Phil growled, staring at Alan.

"Guys, don't. Alan already said he was sorry." Doug said. Phil sighed and turned around.

"Your right, your right. Sorry Alan." he grumbled.

"It was almost exactly like last time, except that we stole Woody Allen's Oscar trophy, instead of Mike Tyson's tiger." Alan added with a laugh.

"Really? Man we do dumb stuff when we're fucked. Was I there when that happened?" Phil asked curiously.

"The first thing we did was look through Stu's photos on his camera. We're like experts at this now." said Alan and Stu rolled his eyes.

"Its not something to be proud of." Stu mumbled.

"We figured out that you went missing around 4 or 5 in the morning, but then later we ran into Marshal's thugs and they told us they had kidnapped you because we stole $4000 from them." Alan continued nonchalantly.

"Oh." Phil tensed, and bit his lip

Stu could have smacked Alan. Didn't he realize what he was saying?

"_Alan." _Stu whispered harshly

"What? I was just making small talk." Alan argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And I know the rest." Phil said softly.

They drove in silence but Stu didn't mind the quiet. They only had about 3 hours to go before they reached LA. All of a sudden Stu couldn't keep his eyes open, the rocking of the car making him very sleepy. He wondered for a second whether Doug and Alan would be okay with Phil on their own, but sleep over power him before he could make a decision.


	8. Part 8

888

"Stu? Hey Stu?"

"Whaaaaa?"

Stu woke to someone awkwardly poking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find him face to well, nose with Alan.

"Hey Stu, you awake?" Alan asked

Stu straightened up in the seat. They had stopped, presumably at a gas station.

"Yes, yes I am awake now. Whats up, Alan?"

"We've stopped for a bit." Alan said

"Yes, I can see that."

Stu looked around and he saw Doug filling the tank up, but Phil wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Where's Phil?" Stu asked

"Oh, he went inside to grab a water. He said he was okay." Alan replied

"You didn't go in with him?" Stu asked

"No, he said he was fine. But then I decided to wake you up anywhere, just incase you needed a water or something." Alan answered

"Thanks Alan."

Stu got up stiffly from the car and walked outside. It was hot and dry, like it always was in the desert. Stu stretched, then walked towards the little food station. As he entered he sighed gratefully at the A/C, he turned down the aisle and saw Phil looking at the sodas. Despite the heat, he still wore a long sleeved shirt, probably to conceal the still present cuts and bruises on his forearms.

Stu approached him slowly, "Hey, man." he said softly. Phil turned his head and smiled.

"Hey Stu, did you have a nice cat nap?" he asked

Stu smiled, "oh it was great. You doing okay? Alan's not bothering you, is he?"

Phil shook his head, "No, no I'm fine."

Stu nodded, "I'm going to give Lauren a call, and let her know that you'll be staying with us until Steph gets back with the kids from Disneyland."

Phils eyes flashed up, "You're going to tell-"

"No, no I wont tell her anything. Just that your staying. Is that alright?"

Phil nodded, and then reached over and patted Stu's shoulder. "Thanks, Stu.I appreciate it."

Stu smiled, "You're welcome."

He pulled out his phone and motioned towards outside. "I'll be right out there, if you need anything."

When Stu was outside, and out of hear shot, he dialed Lauren's number. She picked up on the second ring.

"Stu?" she said

"Hey honey, I just wanted to let you know that we are just outside of Barstow. We should be home in a few hours. How are you, and Jamie?"

"Everything's great here. Did you have a fun weekend?"

"Ehhhh" Stu paused

"Stu, did something happen? Who did you loose this time?" Lauren asked, slightly panicked.

"No, no its nothing like that. There was a little incident with Phil, and some people that really scared him. Can he stay with us for a few days, until Steph gets back from Disneyland? I dont want him to be alone."

"Of course he can! But what happened? What do you mean, scared?" Lauren asked

"Uhh I cant tell you much over the phone, Ill fill you in when we get there. Just one more things though, when we do get there-Phil doesn't like-want to be touched. He's kinda spooked. Just thought I should tell you."

"Oh, um okay. What's going on, Stu? Is Phil alright?" Lauren asked

Stu sighed, "I hope so. We'll see you soon, hun. Love you."

"Love you too."

And he hung up.

888

When Stu headed back to the car, smartwater in hand he saw that everyone was already inside, waiting for him.

"Sorry guys, I just got off the phone with Lauren. Phil, you are welcome as long as you like at our house." Stu informed them.

Phil nodded, "Thanks." he said, quietly.

The rest of the drive was uneventful. Phil remained quiet throughout the trip, but Stu could tell he was once again battling with his memories from the way he was breathing-in short harsh gasps that he was trying to cover up by pretending to have the hiccups-and by picking at his fingernails. A nervous habit that wasn't uncommon among dentist patients. Stu didn't know much about PTSD, or sexual abuse or any other jargon that the doctors had mentioned, but he did know how to deal with anxiety. It was a huge part of being a dentist, being able to calmly treat those who had dentist anxieties. That _was _covered in dental school. Part of him wanted to grab Phil's hands and tell him to stop, that nobody was going to hurt him ever again but, Stu didn't want to trigger another episode, or whatever it was that happened to Phil in the hotel.

"You doing alright, Phil?" Stu asked instead. Phil tensed for a moment and bit his lip but then he answered in a quiet voice, "I'm fine."

Stu met Doug's concerned gaze in the mirror. Should they pull over? Stu shook his head slightly, they were almost home anyway.

"Do you remember in college when we took that crazy trip down to Cabo during our spring break our junior year?" Stu asked with a smile.

Doug laughed, "Aw man, that was a gorgeous trip. Ive never seen water so clear before. Hey Phil, remember when you found that iguana?" Doug asked, catching on to Stu's strategy.

Phil smiled, "I hid it in Stu's backpack and blamed Julio. Stu nearly ran back home when he found it" he said, with a little laugh.

"Poor Julio, he sure got a talking to. I don't think he understood any english though." Doug added. Stu chuckled, "That was a trip to remember, right Phil?"

"Yeah, it was pretty great. No one got drugged, we all remembered everything. Good times, back then." Phil answered, drumming his fingers on his knees.

They arrived in LA a few hours later, tired and exhausted from driving. After Alan was dropped off at his parents house, Doug drove to Stuart's house to drop them off. Doug pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. A heavy silence fell over the three friends, nothing like this had ever happened before. Stu sighed softly, he still couldn't get that shattered look Phil had given him-the one before the medic had arrived-out of his minds eye. What would happen now, with one of them returning so broken?

"Here we are." Doug said quietly

"Thanks, Dougie." Stu answered, patting his friend on the back. Doug smiled, "anytime, Stu."

Phil unbuckled his seatbelt, and Stu saw his hands shaking slightly. Would he ever trust them again?

"You ready, Phil?" Stu asked softly, and he saw Phil nod. Phil looked at Doug, and then turned around to look at Stu.

"Thanks, guys. For-for everything." he murmured softly

"No problem buddy, we love you. We just want to make sure you're alright." Stu answered. Outside the car, he saw Lauren waiting on the porch for them.

"I'll try to stop by tomorrow, see how everything is going." Doug said

"Thanks, that'll be great." Stu said, opening the car door and stepping out of the car. He opening Phil's door for him. Stu heard Phil say goodnight to Doug as he got their bags from the trunk. Phil started to reach for his but Stu shook his head.

"It's alright, Ive got it." he said

"Thanks"

They waved goodnight to Doug and watched him pull out of the driveway, and then they walked up to the porch where Lauren was waiting. She gave Stu a hug and a peck on the cheek, and then motioned them inside.

"Come on in, guys. How was the trip?" She asked as Stu put the bags down.

Stu smiled a little, "Vegas, always crazy. Right Phil?" he asked. Phil nodded slightly and gave a little smile, the light from the lamps luminating the still dark bruise on his face and the bags under his eyes.

"Phil, what happened? Did you get in a fight?" Lauren asked, handing going up to her own cheek. Phil blushed and ducked his head.

"Its nothing, I'm fine." he murmured, not looking her in the eye. Lauren looked back at Stu, and then at Phil again.

She sighed, "Alright. I bet you guys are tired. Phil, you're welcome to stay as long as you like. The guest bedroom is up the stairs and to the left." she said, pointing up the stairs. Phil nodded, "Thanks, Lauren."

Phil looked at Stu, "Is it alright if I-"

Stu nodded, "Of course, we all had a long day. Just give us a shout if you need anything."

"Thanks."

And Phil walked towards the stairs. This time Stu did notice that he was limping slightly, and Stu felt a simmering rage towards Marshal's men. If he ever laid eyes on that fat son of a bitch he would definitely try to kick his ass. Or give him a bad dentist recommendation. He jumped as he felt Lauren touch his arm.

"Stu? What's going on? You sounded weird on the phone. Is everything okay?" she asked, real concern in her eyes. Stu didn't have the heart to lie to her.

"Well...well um. Lets sit down." he said, motioning to the couches. Lauren sat down next to him and put her hand over his.

"Whatever happened, I still love you. You know that, right?" She said.

Stu smiled, "How could I get so lucky. You are amazing."

She blushed, "Please, tell me what happened." she asked him, Stu nodded and took a deep breathe, "I don't even know where to begin." he sighed

"The beginning?"

"Hahaha. Alright. Well, it happened again." he started

"What did?"

"Alan drugged us." he said

"Why do you even hang out with him anymore?"

"His dad payed for like the entire trip." Stu explained.

"Oh."

"Anyway, when we-Doug, Alan and I- woke up in the hotel room, we had no idea what had happened the night before. This was on Saturday morning, I think. And, Phil was missing."

"Oh no."

"I'm gonna summarize it just a bit. We got to meet Woody Allen-man that guy can pack a punch- we ran into Mr. Chow again, and Phil got kidnapped by some southern thugs because we accidentally stole $4000 from them." Stu explained, with a grimace.

"What!? You stole money? _Stuart Price." _Lauren scolded him, sending him a scowl.

"Man, you're so cute when your angry."

"Get back to the story."

"After we realized we had no idea where the money was, Alan did some illegal gambling, and we won back the $4000." he said

"That's good."

"Yeah, this is where it gets messy. We were able to get Phil back from the thugs, but something happened to -they hurt him...in awful ways." Stu said, lowering his voice.

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked

"We should have taken him to a doctor right away, but we didn't. I cant believe we didnt do that. I knew something was wrong. He wouldn't let anyone near him, he just seemed so, so _brittle." _Stu whispered softly. "I thought he would get better, I hoped he would get better but he didn't. So we took him to the ER and Lauren?"

"Yes?"

"Ive never seen anyone so broken in my entire life. I cant even imagine what they did to him to make him so scared. But they did, they _hurt _him and now he's a completely different person."

"Oh Stu. What did they do?" she asked, and then her eyes went wide, "Stu was he ra-"

"Don't say it. If we don't say it maybe we can pretend it didn't happen. That everything is normal." Stu whispered as he put his head in his hands.

He felt then Lauren's warm embrace, "Everything is going to be okay. We will fix all of this, don't worry." she whispered into his ear.

"He's my best friend. I can't-can't see him like this."

"I know, I know. It will get better, I promise."

Stu looked up at Lauren, "How? Im just a dentist, I have no idea how to fix any of this. I don't know how to deal with sexual assault or PTSD. I don't even know how to talk about it."

"Shh, its alright. Yes you do, honey. You've gotten this far, haven't you?"

Stu shrugged, "I don't know. He still flinches whenever anybody-myself included- tries to touch him. And he still gets lost and I barely know how to bring him back."

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked

"He get these I-don't-know _flashbacks _ and its like he's not even seeing us anymore. Like he's back with those men. I try, Ive been trying to help him but I just don't know if I am or not."

"Im sure you are. Don't worry, Stu. You've gotten this far, dont give up now. In the morning, I can make a few calls. Maybe get him to someone who can help. Should I call Stephanie?" she asked

"Not tonight, in the morning, yes. I know he doesnt want her to know, but I think it's the best thing." Stu said, sitting up straight.

"Oh, okay honey. They're in Disneyland, arent they?"

Stu nodded "He didnt want them to worry, it was the kids first time there."

"That's wow. "

"He loves Steph and the kids, I dont think he would want them to know, he didnt want to spoil their trip."

"Everything will be alright, sweetie. We'll work it out though. Don't worry. Phil can stay here as long as he wants. We will make everything better, I promise."

Stu smiled, "I love you, did you know that? Thanks for being so understanding."

Lauren kissed him on the forehead, "That's what we do. We're a team. Now, get some rest. You've had a long day."

888


	9. Part 9--NEW!

Writing is hard. I thought I was happy with the final piece I had up, but I'm not. So I rewrote some of the other parts to fit this, and the next part in. Thank you for your patience!

888

The next couple of days passed by in a blur for Stu. Stu ended up telling Lauren and Tracey everything that had happened to them, including their trip to the hospital. Stephanie wasn't due back for another two days, and both Stu and Lauren thought it best that Phil stay with them, in the guest room. Both women were sympathetic towards Phil but Stu knew that they didn't really understand what had happened and Stu couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. Phil continued to cover his true emotions with his charming smile and wit, but Stu could tell he was still struggling with what had happened to him. Phil often would retreat to the guest bedroom whenever he could and answer their questions with vague, one would sentences. Stu tried his best to be a comfort,he even turned to the dictionary looking up _violated, molested, assault, crime, nonconsensual _but they were just words to him, there were no answers. None of it helped. Deep down he knew that Phil wasn't getting better. He needed help, help that neither Stu nor his family could provide.

Stu stared at the closed door, it was Wednesday, the morning of Stephanie and the kids return. He held up his hand to knock, pausing slightly. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to see that broken expression in his friends eyes, or hear the brittleness in his voice again but he needed to talk to Phil. Stu sighed but before he could knock the door opened revealing Phil, and his packed bags. Phil jumped when he saw Stu and took a couple of steps back, but he didn't drop the bags.

"Hey Stu, you scared me." Phil said

"I was just coming to talk to you. Whats with the bags, are you going somewhere?" Stu asked

"Yeah...um I was thinking I could go um...home. Get the house ready for Steph." Phil lied, shifting back and forth on his feet.

"Really? You know you're welcome to stay here until they come back." Stu answered, stepping into the room. Phil flinched slightly, and dropped the bag at his feet.

"I can't do this. I have to go, away. Far away where no one knows." he said, entire body trembling. Stu stared at his friend, in all the years that he knew Phil, he never thought Phil as one to give up on something.

"What?" Stu asked

"I can't stay. I cant look at Steph and pretend all of this didn't happen. It still hurts, it wont stop. It'll never stop. I can't do this, I can't, I can't, I can't…." Phil started pacing back and forth rapidly as panic took over.

"Phil! Phil stop, please just listen to me." Stu said, walking over to Phil and grabbing his shoulders.

"Please, calm down. I need to ta-"

But Phil jerked out of his grip and backed up away from him, face panic stricken. "Dont touch me, man! Please please don't" he half shouted, half pleaded. Stu took a couple steps back. "Okay, okay Phil. I'm sorry." he said, trying to remain calm.

Phil sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout." he said

"it's alright." Stu said, he motioned towards the bed, "Please, sit. I want to talk to you about something." he asked

Phil nodded, "Okay." He sat down on the bed with a shaky breathe, and Stu pulled over the computer chair and sat. He took a deep breath, slightly shattered by the way Phil had reacted to his touch.

"Steph and the kids are coming home tomorrow." he said again. Phil nodded, and Stu saw him grip his hands to stop them from shaking.

"I know you don't want them to know, Phil. But you can't keep hiding like this. Running away isn't going to help. Please, just stay. Steph loves you very much, she wouldn't want you to hide anything from her."

Phil sighed and put his head in his hands, "What am I going to do?" he asked in a thin whisper.

"Well, that's why I came to talk to you. Lauren and I want to help, we can talk to her-not tell her everything-just the basics to let her know what happened this weekend. As for the kids, they can stay with us, or at Dougie's until you get settled."

Phil looked up at him, "You would do that, for me?" he asked, voice laced with disbelief.

"Of course, you're my friend. I would do anything for you. You've been to hell and back for me. Remember Bangkok?"

Phil nodded but Stu continued, "After I found out what I had done, I was distraught. I didn't want to look anybody in the eye ever again. But you, and even Alan kept me grounded."

"Im sorry Stu, I forgot that you were too-man you've handled it so much better than me."

Stu nodded. There were no nice words for what had happened to him in Bangkok. It hadn't been fair, none of it had and it still made him wish that they had never gone to Thailand. But what had happened to Phil-that was different. He _remembered _it and was ashamed by it.

"It wasn't easy, it hasn't been easy. Man, I still get nightmares sometimes, but you know what really helped me?" Stu asked

"What?"

"Being able to talk about it. With Lauren. We're a team now, just like you and Steph are."

Phil looked up at him, "Really? You told her about the stripper?"

"Yes. She knew we were drugged out of our minds. By _Alan. _I don't think she's forgiven him yet."

Phil laughed a little, "Well, I don't blame her. Did he really drug us again?"

"Yes. _For old times sake. _What an idiot. He's a good guy, underneath all that though." Stu said. Phil smiled, "I guess so."

"Anyway. You know you can talk to me, right? I understand what it feels like, it sucks. But talking helps, believe me. I know it does."

Phil nodded, "I-I'm just not ready, Stu. Thank you though." They looked at each other, and Stu fought the urge to hug his friend. That's what friends did, after an emotional moment. They hugged it out, offered some sort of physical comfort. But Stu couldn't, he knew Phil would freak out again and that hurt him more than anything else.

"Stu? What's wrong?" Phil asked, Stu must have had an odd expression on his face.

"It's nothing, Kinda dumb, actually. I wish I could hug you." he said, almost sheepishly.

"Oh. Stu, Im sorry. I really have to get over that, don't I?" Phil said

"No, no it's okay. Only when you're ready." Stu answered

Phil paused for a moment, and then reached out and touched Stu's knee. Stu looked up, well aware of how difficult it was for Phil to initiate contact.

"Thanks for everything, Stu. I really appreciate it. I know Ive said that millions of times, but I do mean it." Phil said

Stu smiled, "I know. Now, about Steph. Lauren and I were thinking we could call her, and have her come here for dinner. Then we could let her know what happened, and work on it from there. Does that sound okay?"

Phil nodded, and let go of Stu.

"Alright

888

The doorbell rang making Stu jump and nearly spill his wine down his shirt. Lauren smiled at him. "Nervous, Hun?" She asked.

Stu shrugged, "Maybe."

"It'll be fine, I promise." She said, giving him a peck on the cheek before walking towards the door.

"Can you get Phil? Make sure he doesn't run away this time." She said. Stu laughed a little, and then walked towards the stairs. He knocked on the wall, knowing that Phil would be able to hear him.

"They're here, Phil." he said

"I know, I know. Give me a sec."

"Are you okay?" Stu asked

"Yes, Im fine."

Stu sighed, wondering if he should go up and get Phil just to make sure he was there, but then decided not too. Phil needed to be able to trust them, and going up and rushing him didn't sound like the best idea at the moment.

He smiled as he saw Stephanie escorting the kids into the TV room.

"Hi Steph! How was Disneyland?" He asked, waving at her. Stephanie smiled and waved back, "Oh it was wonderful, best place on earth." She said, keeping the sarcasm down to a minimum, for the sake of the kids.

Stu grabbed his glass of wine from the kitchen and walked over to the TV room. Lauren was trying to settle Jamie, their 6 month old in the baby rocker and talking to Steph about the trip. Lauren had spoken with Steph on the phone before they had come over, letting her know what had happened to them over the weekend. She seemed to be taking it well, so far. Then again, there were kids in the room and Stu knew that she wouldn't want to upset them.

"Im really excited to take her when she's older. Its kinda like a right of passage, isn't it?" She said, "I hope she likes fast rides when she's older."

Steph smiled, "It is. I wish Phil-Daddy had gone with us though, managing two kids is definitely a real chall-"

Eli, the oldest of the Wennick children saw Stu in the doorway, "Uncle Stu!" he shouted, running over to him. Stu smiled, "Hey buddy! How was Disneyland!" he asked.

The 10 year old smiled, "I rod space mountain 17 times in a row! Mommy almost threw up. Lily liked it too though"

Lily was their 5 year old daughter.

"Wow, that sounds like fun." Stu said with a smile. Kids. He straightened up and waved to Steph. "Lots of fun, right?"

Steph rolled her eyes. "Never again. Phil's taking them next time."

"I'll tell you what, when Jamie, and Doug's twins are old enough we'll gather up the old wolfpack and take the kids." Stu said with a smile.

"That sounds great, Stu."

"Where is daddy?" Eli asked, looking from Stu to Steph.

"He's upstairs, he'll come down in a bit Bud. Now, have I shown you our new TV? We have all the Transformers movies!" Stu said excitedly

"But I don't like Transformers." huffed Lily from the couch.

"That's okay, Lily. We can play Space Mountain if you want." Eli said, running over to his sister. Stu met Steph's eye and smiled. They were good kids.

"I think everyones settled now, shall we head over to the living room?" Lauren asked, hoisting Jamie onto her other shoulder. "I'll put her in the bouncy chair, she's being fussy tonight." Lauren told Stu.

"I can do it, go chat with Steph." Stu said, taking the baby and handing her his glass of wine.

"Your the best." Lauren said with a smile, and then motioned for Stu to lead the way. As they funneled out into the hallway, Stu saw a Phil shaped shadow standing at the end of the stairwell.

"Hi Phil! Look who's here." Stu said with a smile. Phil paused for only a moment, and then walked over to them. He had changed into a dark blue long sleeved shirt and tan pants, and despite the still present bruise on his face, he looked good.

"Hey" he said quietly, then he walked over and embraced Steph. Like he always did.

Stu heard him whisper, "I missed you." into Steph's hair, and then he let go of her.

Eli poked his head out of the playroom. "Daddy!" he shouted, and wiggled his way past Stu, running towards his father.

Phil bent down to Eli's height, "Hey, little man! How was Disney-oophm" he was cut off as Eli hugged him. Stu tensed, waiting for Phil to flinch, or pull away from the contact but, he didn't. Instead, he stood up and put his hand on Eli's shoulder.

"Did you have fun?" he asked, a slight tremble in his voice.

Eli nodded

"Good. I want to hear all about it, but first Daddy has to talk to Uncle Stu about something, alright?"

Eli nodded again, and then ran back into the playroom. Phil looked up at Stu, and then at Stephanie.

"Let's go sit." Stu said, after a few moments of awkward silence. He led them into the living room, and then settled Jamie into the jumper seat. After making sure she seemed content with playing with her toys, he turned around and went to sit next to Lauren.

"Thank you for having us over, it was so nice of you to cook dinner. So, how was Vegas?" Steph asked with a smile. Stu smiled but didnt say anything. He didnt know where to start. What could he tell her? That he let her husband be taken for ransom? That he let those awful men violate Phil and had done nothing to stop it? How would he explain that Phil couldn't stand to be touched, or that he had flashbacks and nightmares. How would she react, with one of them returning so broken?

"It was alright." Phil answered

There was a beat of silence. And then another one.

"Is everything okay? You guys are acting kind of strange." Steph said, her smile fading a bit.

"Steph, something happened in Vegas. That you should know about." Stu began slowly, looking at Steph and then Phil, who had gone rigid.

"What? What's wrong? Please tell me." She said.

"We ran into some trouble, and Phil was taken hostage." Stu answered.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?" Steph asked, puttting her hand on Phil's shoulder. Phil flinched his shoulder away from her touch.

"Phil?" she asked she reached to grab his hand but he pulled away from her.

"_Phil. _What's wrong? What happened? Please, tell me." she asked desperately, looking at Phil and then to Stu and Lauren.

Phil looked at Stu, but then answered, "im sorry. Im just a little spooked, thats all. They weren't-weren't very nice to me."

"Oh Phil. Im sorry."

"I'll be okay though. I just need some time to forget it ever happened." he said.

Stu sighed. Of course Phil wouldn't tell her. Maybe he would later, when it was just them?

The rest of the evening went well. Phil asked a lot of questions about Disneyland, and purposely avoided talking about Vegas, or their weekend. He seemed okay though, Stu knew he was in good hands with Stephanie. They always were perfect for each other. Phil left with Steph and the kids that night.

Stu sighed, and hoped that everything would be okay.

888

I am so sorry about all of the confusion with the chapters. I rewrote the story a little bit, it might be best to go back and read it from the beginning. I just couldn't write a Mean Stephanie. It sounded fake, so I changed it. Thank you for sticking with it! Please read and review!


	10. Part 10

Trigger warning: this chapter mentions self harm, please read with care.

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One Week Later:

When Stu opened his door and stepped into his house, he was surprised to see Doug, Stephanie, Tracey and Lauren standing in the living room.

"Hey, guys?" Stu asked, a little confused.

"Hey Stu. We need to talk." Doug said, Steph sniffed loudly and Stu realized she was crying.

"Oh my god, what happened. Are you okay? Is everyone okay?" Stu asked, running over to them. Steph shook her head.

"It's Phil…"

"Oh no. Please, tell me what happened." Stu said, coming over and sitting down next to Stephanie.

"Stephanie caught Phil in the bathroom this morning, with a razor-to his wrists." Doug said softly, once Stu had sat down.

"What? Is he okay?" Stu asked, taken aback by the news.

"She was able to stop him before he cut too deep." Doug answered for Steph, who was now crying into Tracey's shoulder.

"She didnt know what to do. The kids were home, so she called me." Doug explained, and then he broke off.

"Is Phil okay? Did you take him to the hospital?" Stu asked, but Doug shook his head.

"The cuts, they were shallow. Like-like the ones we saw in Vegas."

"Like the ones that Marshall's men-?"

Doug shook his head, "But I don't think they did that to him."

"Oh." Stu said, and he rubbed his temples with his hands, remembering back to the hotel room. Phil had been so scared about them finding out what was under his sleeves. Phil hadn't _wanted _them to see the cuts at all. Was it because he had put them there?

"Why? Why would he do that?" Stu asked

Doug shrugged, "We don't know. He wouldn't say anything-except that he was just trying to make them stop. I don't know what that means though, he wasn't making much sense. Stu I-I think-we're way over our heads here. I thought he would get better on his own, but he's not. What should we do?" Doug asked

Stu shook his head. "I don't know. Where is he now?"

"We left the kids with my parents but we didn't know where to bring Phil. Thank goodness my brother was there, he helped us bring Phil up to one of the guest bedrooms." She continued

"You left Phil with _Alan?!" _Stu asked in disbelief

"I know it's crazy, but he was the only one who knew what to do. Just like in Vegas. He was able to calm Phil down long enough to get him patched up. He's got a special skill set, that man." Doug answered

Stu nodded, "He does. So whats going on now? Will Phil be okay? Steph, what exactly happened?"

Steph sniffed again, and then wiped her tears from her face. "It's been hard, this past week, but I thought he was getting better, that the worst was over. He was fine with the kids and even with me but this morning he-he was in the bathroom with the lights off, I thought no one was in there so I just barged in and saw him sitting on the floor, blood running down his arms. I-I-didnt know what to do, and the kids-they heard. I couldn't let them see their father like that. I-." She cut off with a sob.

"Then I called Doug. He came over-" she cut off again, crying into her hands. Tracey rubbed her back, and continued, "I stayed downstairs with Eli and Lily. They really didn't know what was going on. Stu, we've all been patient with Phil. We've all been quiet, and courteous towards him but this has gotten out of our hands. We need to take him to the hospital, he needs help."

Stu nodded. "I know, I know.I just, I don't want him to think we're forcing him into doing anything. He said he didn't want to talk about it, that he would get over it with time."

"You know what I think we should do?" Doug asked

"What?"

"Stage an intervention. Maybe once he sees that we all support him, he'll go." Doug said.

Stu paused, wouldn't an intervention make things worse?

"Not-not like a real one. More like, a gathering of friends to show support. He needs to know he can trust us, that we're not going to hurt him." Doug said quickly, sensing Stu's hesitation.

"He still wont let anybody touch him." Stu whispered. They had all treaded carefully around Phil these past few days, but he still flinched at the slightest touch, still winced and froze when someone approached him too fast. Yet, he said he was fine, that he would get over it and be okay. But Phil wasn't okay. He was never going to be okay until he got help. Would he accept it though? If only he would throw away his pride and admit that he needed help.

Stu sighed. Maybe an intervention would help Phil. It was worth a shot, anyway.

"When do you want to do it?" Stu asked

"Tomorrow." Steph said, "I love Phil, so much but he has taken this too far. He needs help, more help than I can give him. It's been two weeks and nothing has changed. He keeps saying he'll get better on his own, but I dont think he will. He needs help."

Stu nodded, "I know a good doctor, I'll give her a call tomorrow and make an appointment. Do you think he'll agree to see her?"

Doug shrugged, "I dunno. I hope so, man. Today-today was so scary. The last time I saw him like this was well-in Vegas."

"Was he trying to-" Stu asked but Doug shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. He kept saying he was trying to make them stop-that he couldn't make them stop. I don't understand it." Doug answered, gripping his drink.

"Can I see him? Maybe I can talk to him, maybe he'll open up to me and admit he needs help. If he doesn't, then we can do the intervention." Stu said, eyes darting from Doug, to Tracey, to Stephanie.

Steph sighed, "If you think it will help, sure. He seems most comfortable with you, maybe he'll talk to you. We weren't able to get him to say much."

Stu frowned. Phil not talking? That wasn't a good sign at all, if anything, it meant that Phil had given up on getting better. Stu wouldn't let that happen. Not to Phil, who he knew had the courage to fight through this. Deep down Stu knew that Phil hadnt been trying to end his life. Phil had fought so hard to stay alive, so hard to protect his family that it just didn't make sense for him to leave now. Doug said the cuts were shallow, like the ones in Vegas had been. Maybe it was a way to cope with the memories?

Stu finally nodded, "I'd like to talk with him."

"He's at my parents, Alan's watching him now." Tracey added, looking at Stu.

"Alright. Should we go now?" Stu asked

"Sure."

"What about the kids? Are they okay?"

Doug nodded, "The kids are fine. I dont think they saw much, theyre with Tracey's mom right now. I think she took them out for ice cream." he said

Steph nodded, " It'll do them good, being out of the house. They were starting to ask questions about Phil and I didnt know how to answer." she sniffed, then blew her nose.

"How was Phil with them?" Stu asked, slightly curious. He knew Phil wouldn't let anyone touch him, but he seemed to be okay with Eli and Lily.

"He's been a little distant with them, I dont think he wants them to see their father hurt." Steph answered.

Stu nodded, "he really loves them, I hope you know that. Has he told you anything else-about what happened?"

Steph shook her head, "Only that he got kidnaped, he wouldn't go into details and thats whats scaring me. Something else happened that he's not telling us. He just says he's fine when I ask, but he's not. I know he's not." She said.

"I know, I noticed that too." Stu answered, and then he stood up.

"I want to talk to him, shall we go?" he asked

Doug nodded, and reached for his car keys.

888

The guest bed was neatly made up with antique-looking blue blankets that surely no one would sleep under in the hot LA weather. Phil was not in the bed, but sitting up in a straight-backed chair by the window. He looked up when Stu knocked on the door casement.

"Hi, I came to see how you were doing." Stu said softly

Phil smiled slightly, and then got up from the chair and offered it to Stu and sat on the bed. Stu didn't think Phil had been doing anything at all, just sitting with his hands in his lap. He was wearing a blue short sleeved overlarge shirt-probably one of Alans- and Stu could plainly see the white bandages on his friend's wrists and forearms. Phil must have noticed his gaze, for his crossed his arms infront of him, trying to conceal them.

The looked at each other for a second, then looked at other things in the room, of which there were painfully few. A guest bedroom in someone else's house, Stu felt that it shouldn't be this way. Phil should be happily settled in his own house, with his own wife and kids. He didn't deserve to be here, trapped like a prisoner with white bandages on his wrists and fear in his heart. Stu didn't know why he'd thought he'd have the nerve to do this. Phil seemed so empty, almost void.

"How are you feeling now? Are you feeling better? "

Stu asked out of courtesy. Of course Phil wasn't okay, he wasn't getting better and they both knew it.

Phil nodded, then looked at his hands.

"I've been meaning to tell you," Stu said, "I think what you did in Vegas was one of the bravest things anyone had ever done. I wouldn't have been able to do it. Ive been thinking it over in my head, and if I had been there, and if they had been hurting me and threatening me. I would not have been able to hold on. I would have given up. Im a coward Phil, and that's why I look up to you. You were so brave, braver than most men I know. I just wanted you to know that." Phil nodded then looked away again.

This conversation would have been hard enough with both people matter what Stu said, it was sure to be the exact wrong thing to say to someone who recently put a razor to their wrist. But what would be right? Was there some book in the library where you could look up such things?

"I guess the main thing I came up here to tell you is, I don't know how you go on, but I really hope you'll keep doing it. That you won't give up hope."Stu continued.

"Please stay strong, Phil. For us. Hope is all you get, no second chances. What you have to do is try and think of reasons to stick it out." he finished, looking up at his friend. Phil had tears in his eyes, but that seemed better somehow than nothing at all.

"It's terrible, what you lost."," Stu said, "I know exactly how you feel because I lost it too. But it's also true that some people never have anything to lose, and I think that's got to be so much worse." Stu finished, looking up at his friend.

They sat there for a long time, and then Stu finally said, "She's crazy about you. Dont ever let her go" then he went over and took one of the hands in his lap and held it for a second. His skin felt cold and emptied-out, like there was nobody home.

Stu walked back down the stairs and saw that Tracey, Doug and Stephanie we waiting in the living room. He sighed, and then took a deep breathe.

"Let's do it. Tomorrow."

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So sorry that this took forever, I kept writing and rewriting and rewriting. I hoped you liked it! Please review!


	11. Part 11

Trigger warning: rape/non-con references, please read with care.

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Stu felt slightly nervous as he pulled the car into Alan's parent's driveway. They had decided to make it a semi-formal intervention, nothing too intense because they didnt want to scare Phil away. They had thought it would be best for Phil to have some down time before the intervention, so Stu offered to take him to the Pier for the morning. The Pier had always been a special place for them growing up, a place to cool down and relax when things go too rough at home. Stu still remembered those nights in highschool when Phil would call him in the middle of the night to meet at the pier because his parents were fighting. It always calmed him down. Stu hoped that this trip gave Phil that safe, santuary feeling again before things got too out of control.

Now, Phil seemed present and settled, which was good. Stu turned off the car, they had decided earlier that it would be okay for Stu to tell Phil what was coming. He turned off the car and fiddled with his keys, not really knowing what to say. Everything he felt like saying felt either scripted or cliche. Stu knew what Phil had gone through, but he still didn't understand why Phil had tried to hurt himself. He wished Phil would just talk to him and tell him what was wrong. Wasn't that what friends were supposed to do? Share each other's burdens? Then they could fix it.

"Phil, I have to tell you something." He started

Phil looked up, "Yes?" he asked

"When we go inside, there are going to be some people there waiting for us-"

"What? Whats going on?"

"Not just people, friends. Steph, Tracey, Doug, Alan. We are worried about you, we just want you to get better." Stu said

"But I am-I will. You don't have to worry about me." Phil protested, giving Stu a fake smile.

"We're your friends, Phil. We just want you to get better." Stu repeated, hoping that Phil would agree to just listen to them.

"I know."

"You gave us all quite a scare, yesterday." Stu said softly

"I know. I know, I'm sorry-I am so sorry. I just thought-just thought it would help me….forget. But I cant. _They _won't stop. _It wont stop._" Phil whispered, and Stu saw his fingers shaking as they traced over the bandages under his sleeves.

"If you come inside, and listen to what we have to say, I promise we will make them stop." Stu said. He still didn't fully understand what Phil meant when he said that.

"Whenever you're ready to go in. Nobody's rushing you." Stu added

Phil paused for a few seconds, and then he nodded.

They both got out of the car, and Phil motioned for Stu to walk in first. Stu lead the way through the kitchen and to the living room, where Doug, Tracey, Alan and Stephanie were sitting. He heard Phil take in a couple of shaky breathes, and he turned towards his friend.

"You alright?" he asked

Phil nodded again but didn't look Stu in the eye. When they entered the living room, they were greeted warmly by their friends. Stephanie stood up and smiled bravely. Stu knew this was hard for her. It was for everyone.

"Hey Stu." She said, walking over and giving him a hug, and then she turned towards Phil and smiled.

"Hi Hun." she said softly, then she extended her hand out to him slowly. Both Stu and Steph saw the flinch.

"We would like to talk to you about some things. Come sit down." she said, lowering her hand. Phil nodded and followed her over to the couch. There were murmurs of "Hey Phil" from the others as Phil settled himself in between Stephanie and Doug. Stu walked past them and sat on the loveseat to their left with Lauren and Alan. Tracey sat down next to them in the rocking chair by the fireplace. She rocked back and forth nervously, looking at the group, eyes begging for one of them to start.

A heavy blanket of silence fell over the group. None of them could believe that they were here, that such a such a violent crime had happened to them-to Phil.

Doug cleared his through, and then turned to look at Phil.

"Phil, we have all gathered here today to talk to you about-about what happened in Vegas."

Stu saw Phil's back stiffen at the mention of Vegas. They had all been careful, this past week, to not mention Vegas, or Marshall hoping that Phil would get better on his own if they just pretended that it never happened. But he didn't, Stu couldn't even imagine that terror Steph had felt when she found Phil with that knife to his arm. This had spiraled wildly out of control and Stu blamed himself. If only he had listened to the doctors at the hospital and allowed them to check Phil into the psychiatric ward, if only he had listened to Alan and had gotten help sooner, maybe none of this would have happened.

Doug sighed a little, but then continued. "We know-we know you were hurt, and we know that we promised you we wouldn't ask you about it but, I think- we think it's time you told us what happened, so we can get you the help you need."

Phil nodded, but didnt say anything. He stared down at his hands, still and silent. Then Steph pulled out her letter. She shift in her seat so she was facing Phil, and then started to read;

"It's been a while now, and you are not getting better. You still flinch away at the slightest touch, and tremble and shake at the slightest noise. Ive been married to you for 12 years and I have never seen you like this. Please, let us help you get better. I know you say you're handling it on your own but I think you need help. Please Phil, there are doctors, counselors who specialize in this kind of trauma. If you agree to see one I promise you will get better." Steph said looking up at her husband, her hand reached out and hovered over his knee, not quite touching.

"I-I-" Phil started and then broke off, balling his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. "I _can't. _It's too-too much. I cant let them start again, they wont stop-" he broke off again with a wince.

Stu could tell this wasn't helping Phil, he was getting on the edge again, fighting against the memories that plagued him. He needed to know be able to feel safe with them here, and this wasn't helping.

"Phil. Do you remember _Descent into Hell?" _Stu asked, suddenly remembering the novel that they had read in that horrid english class together in college. The class had been terrible, but Stu loved that book. And he knew Phil did too. A certain part stuck out in Stu's mind; Pauline Anstruther, the heroine of the novel, lived in fear of meeting her own doppelgänger which has appeared to her throughout her life. But Stanhope, in an action central to the author's own theology, took the burden of her fears upon himself—Williams called this The Doctrine of Substituted Love—and it enabled Pauline, at long last, to face her true self.

Phil gave him an incredulous look, but then answered "by Charles Williams?"

Stu smiled, "Yes. Haven't you heard it said that we ought to bear each other's burdens?" Stu said, quoting directly from the book. Phil shook his head, but he seemed to be thinking it over.

"Remember what happened after Pauline told Stanhope? She faced her fears, and conquered the demons haunting her. All because she knew Stanhope was holding her fear for her." Stu continued, hoping that this slight distraction would calm Phil down enough for him to tell them what happened.. The others listened quietly, Stu wasn't sure if they had read-or ever heard of- Williams, but he knew they trusted him.

"Let us take this burden from you. Let us help you, please Phil. Tell us what happened." Stu asked again.

Phil was still for a few moments, and then -after taking a couple of shaky breathes- he nodded slightly and Stu saw a glimpse of the old Phil flash in his friend's eyes before the panic and brittle edge set back in. He ducked his head down and muttered something softly, something that Stu couldn't hear but deep down Stu _knew _what his friend had said.

"What did you say?" Stu asked soflty, but Phil shook his head.

"I can't. _I can't _do this. Im not strong enough. There are too many-I can't-can't-"

"Yes you can." Stu cut in, and Phil shot him a look of disbelief.

"You're stronger than you think, Phil. I know this is hard for you, but we all are here for you. We just want to help, but we can't if you don't tell us what happened." Stu told him, and their eyes locked. It was just them now, the others seemed to have faded into the background. Stu smiled a little and gave a small nod.

"I was raped. I was tied down and helpless-" Phil broke off with a cry, crossing his arms over his chest to conceal the shaking of his hands.

"Oh _Phil._" Stu whispered, holding his breathe and hoping that Phil had the courage to continue. Stu knew it was what happened, but it still hurt all the same to hear Phil admit to it. Doug, who had been sitting there quietly, reached out to touch his shoulder, only to offer comfort but Phil twitched away, standing up and backing away from them. Stu straightened, was he going to run?

"Please, please don't. I can't-every touch reminds me of theirs and I can't-once it starts I can't make it stop. It wont stop." Phil pleaded as his back hit the wall. Stu saw Stephanie stand up and walk slowly towards Phil.

" Everything is going to be alright, Phil. We're going to make it stop, okay? But you have to finish telling us what happened. Can you do that, honey?" she asked softly. Phil shuddered, but then nodded slightly.

"Okay." he whispered softly, looking up at Stephanie and locking eyes were her. Stu turned away slightly, giving them space.

Steph reached out her hand, offering it to Phil. "Come on back to the couch, hun. You're going to be fine. No one is going to hurt you, come on." she said softly. Phil hesitated for a moment, but then reached out and took her hand. Stu smiled a little, Steph really was amazing. She led Phil back over to the couches, where Doug, Tracey, Lauren and Alan were watching in silence. Steph motioned for Doug to schooch over on the couch, leaving them with plenty of room to sit down.

"We all love you so much, and we hate seeing you like this. We just want to help." Doug said. Phil shuddered again and let go of Steph's hand. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a breathe, trying to remain composed.

"Phil? Hon?" Steph asked, prompting him to keep going in a soft voice. Phil nodded and took a couple more deep breathes.

"Okay, umm…" Phil started and then stopping as his emotions took over. Stu suddenly felt like a horrible person, here they were, forcing their friend to tell them something he obviously didn't want anybody to know. How was this a good idea? _You need to know though _the voice reasoned with him, _once you know, you can get him the help he needs. Don't let him bear this burden alone._

"When I woke up, I had no idea where I was. It was all dark and I-I couldn't move much." Phil started, and then he paused to take a breath.

"I couldn't remember how I had gotten there, it was terr-" he broke off again.

"I'm sorry Phil. I spiked the skittles, I didn't mean for any of this to happen" Alan interrupted, and they all turned to look at him. They all knew Alan had drugged them, again but it was refreshing to see the bearded man apologizing on his own for once.

Phil nodded slightly, "it's okay, Alan." he mumbled softly. He was silent for a few beats, but then he continued;

"I remember-I was told that I was being held for ransom by someone. I couldn't tell who it was, I was blindfolded. He told me that as long as I stayed quiet I wouldn't get hurt. So I did. I couldn't move anyway. He didn't bother me much, it was the others. I think they were guarding the door. They-" Phil paused again as his voice cracked again.

"They were the ones that-that-that hurt-_raped _me. They said I was too _pretty _to just be held for ransom. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't-I couldn't move or speak. My hands were tied, I couldn't-but I tried so hard but they wouldn't stop. They didn't stop. And it _hurt. _I didn't know it hurt that much, I didn't want it. I swear I never wanted it but I couldn't-couldn't-they wont stop-" Phil broke off with a sob, pulling his hands up and gripping his hair, the vibrating sense of mayhem returning to his voice as he started rocking back and forth on the couch.

Stu felt the room go blurry as he watched his friend struggle through the memories. He couldn't even imagine how terrified Phil must have been, how violated he must have felt after these men played their-their _games. _Stu felt a hand slip into his and he looked up and saw Lauren. Their eyes met for a moment and he saw that she too had tears in her eyes.

"It's alright, Phil." Steph said soothingly, her hands hovering over him, not quite touching.

"Phil, Phil listen to me. Focus on my voice. You're going to be alright, I promise." she said, and Phil looked up at her and started speaking in a soft, rapid voice;

"Steph-Im sorry-I tried. I tried so hard to protect you from them. But I couldn't-I'm sorry-I'm sorry. I'm sorry"

"Shh, it's okay. Phil honey please don't do that. Im going to touch your arm now, is that alright? I promise everything is going to be okay." She said, and then she lightly touched Phil's wrist, he flinched but let go of his hair.

The group paused for a moment, waiting for this to pass, for Phil to gain a sense of control again. He gripped his hands together, and breathed deeply for a few minutes, and then finally opened his eyes again.

"Phil, you with us?" Doug asked. Phil looked up around the group, eyes laying on each person. Stu gave him a small smile as their eyes connected, and Phil finally nodded.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." he murmured softly.

"Thank you so much for telling us, hon. You did really well." Steph said softly. She held out her hand, Phil hesitated for a moment, but then took it in his.

"They threatened you, and the kids. I couldn't let them hurt you. I would not let them hurt you. You had to be kept safe-I-" he broke off again with a shudder and a flinch. Steph raised her free hand and reached for Phil's shoulder, waiting for him to nod before she touched him.

"I love you so much, Phil." she said, her voice thick with tears.

"I know."

The couple stared at each other, cutting the world off. It was just the two of them now. Stu blinked away more unshed tears. Who'd of thought interventions would be so intense. He felt Lauren squeeze his hand, and then he felt Doug's arm on his shoulder.

"Everything's going to be okay now, I think." he whispered softly.

After a few more moments, Phil broke his gaze and once again looked up at the group.

"Thank you guys, for being here. I know it hasn't been easy." he said, eyes darting between them.

"Of course, we love you Phil. We just want you to get better." Tracey answered. Phil nodded, "I do too." he whispered.

"So now what?" Alan asked, bluntly. Stu couldn't help but chuckle. He almost forgot that Alan was even here. Leave it to Alan to awkwardly but efficiently move the intervention into the next step.

Stu straightened up in his seat. "Phil." he said, and waited until Phil was looking at him to continue, "I am so sorry this happened to you, and we are all here for you. But I think-we think you should see somebody, Dr. Francis-she can help you get through this." Stu stated, and then held his breathe.

Phil nodded, "I just want to forget it." he said softly and he shuddered again "I hate this, I want to go back to the way I was before but it's so hard now-" he winced and gripped Steph's hand.

"We can help with that, Phil. I promise, Dr. Francis is trained to deal with these kind of attacks."

Phil looked up, "Can she make the memories go away?" he asked

Stu shook his head, "No, only you can do that. But she can help, I promise."

Phil nodded, "Alright. I'll go."

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Finally the chapter that I really wanted to write but couldn't is finished. An intervention was actually the idea that sparked this entire story, I'm not sure how it ended up as one of the last chapters. Descent into Hell, and the Doctrine of Substituted Love have always fascinated me, Williams idea of shared burdens, that if you tell someone what is bothering you, they will be able to carry that weight for you so you don't have to is -in it's own way- very inspiring. I think that now Phil had shared what happened to him, he will be able to heal and move on with his life.

On a completely different note, it is thundering and storming like crazy over here right now. I've never heard thunder so loud before! Crazy California weather...

Thanks for reading! Please review :)


	12. Part 12

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"Come on Phil, it's time for your doctor's appointment!" Stu shouted up the stairs, and then he checked his watch. They were supposed to be there in 15 minutes. He smiled slightly at Stephanie as she watched him from the kitchen. She had been nothing but supportive this entire time, and Stu really appreciated it. They all did. The intervention had been a success, after Phil had told them what happened, he agreed to see someone that would help him. That's why today was so crucial; Dr. Francis was a psychologist.

"Why? I'm not sick!" came Phil's grumpy reply as he descended the stairs wearing jeans and a light blue long sleeved shirt.

"This isnt that kind of appointment. Dr. Francis is just someone who you can talk to, think about it that way." Stu answered, jingling his car keys. Phil motioned for him to lead the way. Stu sighed, and then walked into the kitchen, bitter experience had taught him that Phil still preferred not to have anybody behind him, were he couldn't see still had a long way to go, but things had improved since they left Vegas. The biggest breakthrough though was that Phil was getting better at allowing them to touch him. He wasnt flinching as much, and Stu took that as a good sign. Stephanie was pouring herself a cup of coffee as they entered.

"Hey babe, getting ready to go?" She asked Phil with a smile.

Phil nodded, "Yeah. I guess so."

"Nervous?" she asked, setting the coffee cup down. Phil shrugged and stuff his hand in his pockets. Steph took a few steps towards him.

"You're going to do great, I promise. Can I have a hug?" she asked him.

Phil smiled, "Sure." and he embraced her. Stu smiled as she whispered something Stu couldnt hear in Phil's ear. Then she let him go and held his hands.

"I love you, remember that okay?"

Phil nodded, and Stu was surprised to see that his eyes were glassy.

"Yeah. Love you too." Phil said, his voice full of emotion. He sniffed a bit as Stu walked over to stand next to Steph.

"We're all really proud of you, Phil. You know that, right?"

Phil nodded, and sniffed again. "Thanks." he whispered, looking from Steph to Stu.

Stu smiled. Phil had gotten really far, despite the few roadbumps he had hit. After the intervention, Phil had finally been able to trust Stu-all of them, actually- and it made a world of a difference. They all helped though, if anything else this had brought the four families closer together.

"I'll walk you guys out. Tracy's coming over soon, we're going to get sandwiches together for the park. You can meet us there if you want, after the appointment." Steph said.

Stu nodded, "That sounds wonderful. We will." then he motioned for Phil and Steph to continue following him into the garage.

Stu opened the drivers seat of his prius and got in, unlocking the doors so Phil could enter through the passenger side. He watched as Phil and Steph talked, he grabbed her hand in his as they said goodbye. Stu had never felt more grateful for anyone else in his life, Steph was amazing.

Phil got in the car, and uncertain expression on his face. "Are you sure-I-I dont know if I can do this."

"It will all be fine, I promise. Put your seatbelt on" Stu sighed, starting the car. Phil rolled his eyes, but did so. They drove in silence for a few blocks, until-

"Why do we have to go again?" Phil asked

"I'm fine, I've been fine all week-"

"I know, I know Phil. It's just we want you to be able to talk to someone, about what happened to you. Someone who understands. We want whats best for you." Stu explained

"I know, I know. But Stu, I can't even talk to you or Steph about it. How can I just open up to a complete stranger?"

He had told them during the intervention, but since then he hadn't said a word about what happened.

"I know it might be hard at first, but just give Dr. Francis a shot. The first appointment is free anyway." Stu answered with a little smile, very aware of Phil's emerging brittle tone.

"I'll try." he whispered

There was a pause, and then "but what if I loose control again? I dont want-I cant do that again."

"That's not going to happen. Unless Dr. Francis turns out to be Chow..." Stu said trailing off.

Phil laughed a little and Stu looked over at his friend before parking the car in the Doctor's complex. Phil's smile faded as he ran his fingers over his sleeves, where they both knew where the nearly healed cuts were.

"Stu, I-I wish it was something I could forget, but I-I can't. Why cant I just forgot it and move on? I just want this all to be over with and in the past" he asked quietly.

Stu sighed, "It will be over soon, I promise. I think if you are able to tell someone what happened, if you are able to share this burden, you might be able to finally forget." he said, opening his car door.

Phil smiled a little, "You really like that book, don't you? You should write a book "The Motivating Words of Charles Williams." He laughed, and then said quietly "Thanks, Stu." he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car.

Phil checked in with the receptionist, and then went to sit in one of the chairs and Stu sat next to him. Phil's breathing became shorter and sharper, and he clutched the chair handle to keep his hands from shaking.

"Phil? Phil are you alright?" Stu asked softly, Phil nodded but didn't say anything.

A middle aged women with auburn hair stepped out of the office"Phillip Wenneck?" ashe asked, and Phil seemed to snap out of his trance. He stood up with a shaky breathe. The women smiled and walked over to them.

"Hi, My name is Dr. Francis. How are you all doing today?" She asked with a smile.

Phil nodded, "I'm alright." he said, his voice betraying him as he battled for composure.

"A little nervous? That's alright. This is just the first appointment. We'll just be getting to know each other." Dr. Francis said

"Do you want me to come with you?" Stu asked, Phil paused for a moment but then shook his head slightly.

"Alright."

And Stu sat back down in the waiting room and let out a sigh of relief. Phil was finally getting the help he needed. Sure, they were all there for him, but none of them really knew what to do, besides Stephanie. Everything seemed to be going better, now that everyone knew what was going on. Stu had been so scared in Vegas, scared that Phil wasnt going to find his way back. But he did and Stu was so happy that he hadnt lost his friend. Doug and Alan had been a great help as well, making sure that the kids were kept at a distance so they wouldn't ask prying questions and making sure that the Wennick family had plenty of food. Alan had deemed it upon himself to make every kind of chocolate pastry and bring it to them, claiming that "chocolate heals the soul" and keeping everybody occupied by planning their next adventure: a cruise to the Caribbean.

A little more than an hour later Phil re-emerged into the waiting room.

"How'd it go?" Stu asked

Phil shrugged, he looked a little burnt out. "alright, I guess." he paused, and then said "I think I want to make another appointment."

Stu smiled as Dr. Francis came out of the room, "Will this time work for next week?" she asked, and Phil nodded.

"See, that wasn't so bad." Stu said with a smile as they pulled into his driveway. They were going to picked up Lauren and little Jamie for the picnic

"It did feel nice to talk to someone. You were right, Stu. As always." Phil answered. As they got out of the car, Lauren came into the garage holding Jamie in her carriage and gave them a wave.

"Hi! How'd it go?" She asked with a smile.

"It went really well, ready for a picnic?" Stu asked

Lauren smiled "Baby's first picnic! We're so excited." she said happily and then snapped a picture of Jamie with her iphone.

Phil smiled at them, "That's so cute."

"Yeah. We're the dorky kind of parents that document everything." Stu answered as he reached over to take Jamie and put her in the car. Lauren shifted her bag and smiled at Phil.

"You look good, Phil. Come here, give me a hug" she said opening her free arm. Stu couldnt help but feel a sense of pride as he watched Phil walk over and confidently give his wife a hug. Just a few weeks ago he couldnt stand to be touched by anybody, and here he was, giving out hugs.

"Ready to go?" Stu asked

"Yes!" came the enthusiastic reply.

Stu smiled as he climbed into the car.

All was well.

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This is the end, I promise. No more crazy re-writes or chapter changes. You know, I think I may do another hangover one, one that's happier and that doesn't involve a M rating. The plot bunnies are already turning...

Thank you all so much for the support and the reviews, especially xxxxninaxxxx, you are awesome!


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